Hello world!

"Hello world" is a software engineers first program that just says, "Hello world", to indicate that the program is doing something. So this is my hello world blog entry!

I am a C5-6 quadriplegic. Therapists tell me I am a C6, although I broke C5 & C6 (my neck) on May 12th of 1990 at Lake Powell (Utah). C6 is the abbreviation of cervical vertebrae 6, or the 6th vertebrate down from the skull. This is the first thing people wonder when they meet or see me so I thought I would get that out first thing. I am in a wheelchair and my back is starting to curve slightly after 16 years of quadriplegia although I am still pretty darn handsome (if you ask me). I was 22 at the time, and I am now nearly 39. I'll tell more about the whole event at a later time.

The purpose of this blog is to provide hopefully useful information about C6 quadriplegia to other quads or others who have friends or family members that have a similar injury. I'll probably babel about other non-related things too, but what inspired me to start this blog is a Caribbean cruise I just returned from. I thought it would be useful to tell other C6 quads what to expect when they go on voyages like this. I had a great time, but felt misled by the cruise line and their so-called wheelchair accessible excursions. "Well, if you can climb six steps up a ladder then this excursion is wheelchair accessible." People need to know this kind of information.

Disclaimer:
I am not an English major and neither was my mom so I'll do my best to spell well and complete my sentences with proper grammar, but this is my formal disclaimer right here that gives me the freedom to make mistakes :).

Unfortunately I will need to cut this first one short because my wife gave me one of those ultimatums like wives do a few minutes ago. Yes, she married me after the accident, more on that later too. A great catch she is. Married to a C6, she ought to have a blog of her own.

Cheers!