THE LIGHTER SIDE OF BEING PARALYZED FOR LIFE CARTOONIST JO H N CA LLAHAN HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF HIS EXPERIENCES AS A QUADRIPLEGIC One evening in 1972, a friend and I decided to go out for an evening of fun... We ended the evening by driving his Volkswagen into a billboard at 90 miles an hour. (Looking back on it, I kind of wish we hadn’t done this.) In the ambulance, the attendant answered all my questions... In the intensive care unit too, the doctor was tactful in giving me the prognosis. At the rehabilitation center, therapists supplied me with the latest in adaptive equipment. I experienced the typical depression and longed for the days before my injury when I was a useful contributor to society. During rehabilitation, I learned many useful things, like how to move from my wheelchair into bed and vice versa... One day, in a moment of depression, I sneaked out and went to a faith healer... Finally, the day came when I was released from the rehab, center, and I was introduced to the highly-trained attendant with whom I would share an apartment... The live-in attendant and I spent many productive hours together in our apartment in Los Angeles. We had special equipment installed, like a After a few months of slowly rebuilding my self-confidence, I tentatively resumed my social life... 34 Clinton St. Quarterly—Spring, 1988
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