By J. Glen House, M.D. Recently I was asked to explain how I came up with the name for “Disaboom,” an online resource that combines medical information, lifestyle articles, resources, and community for people with disabilities and those whose lives are touched by disability. (And yes, it’s true, I’ve been asked that question roughly 5,000 times since we launched last summer!)
My idea was that for many of us, disability changes everything we had thought we knew about our lives pre-disability. Who we were, what we would do in our lives, the nature of our relationships with those we love and who love us, what we could expect our bodies to do. In a way, a disabling illness or injury “blew up” our previous assumptions, and challenged us to create a new set of expectations: of ourselves, our friends and family, our communities. Thus the “boom” of disability.
But I also believe in the “boom” of positive energy that can accompany change, and wanted to incorporate that idea of explosive energy in our name to signify my belief in the importance of living forward in any way, in any moment, that we can.
As someone who sustained a C-7 spinal cord injury while skiing in my twenties, I know what it feels like to have that bomb go off in your life, blowing up everything that defined who you thought you were. And I know the effort and energy it takes to choose to live forward: going through medical school in a wheelchair was one of the most difficult things I could have chosen to do.
But I was determined to achieve my new goal, which was to become an expert medical practitioner working with rehab patients, and to find ways to help others live forward despite (or even because of) the disabilities they lived with. I love the work I do, and my “disability” has enabled me to contribute to the world in ways I never would have considered before I headed down that ski slope. So “Disaboom” is my way of acknowledging all of the ways a disability can both blow up and energize our lives.
What is Disaboom? I think of it as the resource I wish I’d had when I suffered that spinal cord injury 18 years ago. I was lucky enough to have a loving family and a great group of friends that assisted me in my recovery. However, my most invaluable resource was not healthcare officials or counselors, but two men with a condition similar to mine that I met by chance at my apartment complex. While we sat around the pool shooting the breeze, these men taught me the ‘real’ information I needed to know; such as what kind of wheelchairs were best, how to travel comfortably, the adjustments I’d need to make to have a family, and much, much, more.
Now that I’ve gone on to become a doctor, I have all the medical knowledge of the world at my fingertips. But, I still find I learn most from the everyday experiences of those with disabilities. Luckily, at disaboom.com, you don’t have to choose between medical advice and real world advice, because the Disaboom team works hard every day to provide the best of both worlds.
In our Health section, you’ll find comprehensive overviews of a wide variety of conditions. In our Living section, you can read stories about Paralympians, actors, musicians, and others who have refused to let their disabilities prevent them from achieving their dreams, as well as articles about disability-related legislation, caregiving, education issues, and much more. Lastly, in our Community section, members create content and conversation with the messages that mean the most to them. Our members include a broad range of nationalities, professions, and ages. But we also find that many of our most passionate members don’t, in fact, have a disability themselves – they are instead caregivers, doctors, and friends or relatives who want to understand and support those they care about.
Bottom line for me: The word ‘disability’ may apply to us, but it will never define us. We decide who we are, and what lives we will create. My goal with disaboom.com has been to provide the information, community, and connection that will enable people to choose the life path that supports their new goals and dreams – and determine in what way they will choose to live forward.
