Meg was 22 years old when she went to St. George with her boyfriend one weekend. as she was out exploring the beautiful red rock of Southern Utah, she was hopping from boulder to boulder, not realizing that the red in the rock can play tricks on the eyes. she jumped onto what she thought was another boulder, but in reality was a 35-foot drop. Meg became a c7 quadriplegic, meaning she is paralyzed from the chest down. she can move her arms, but does not have regular use of her hands.
she elaborated a little about her experience in the hospital when she was unable to breathe on her own, and had what felt like a garden hose down her throat. she told us that when you feel as though you have nothing else to be thankful for, be thankful that you can breathe on your own. talk about a sobering thought.
when Meg woke up in the hospital one morning, she thought to herself, "I love that ceiling!" she continued to look around the room, naming different objects in the room that she loved.
Meg has re-learned so many things, like doing her hair and makeup and driving. she also types 60 wpm! what an inspiration!
and she loves to smile! even at random people. guys have chased her down in the car to ask her out after she sent her infectious smile their way--even with her husband in the car! those were funny stories!
but my favorite story shared by Meg at this conference was one of a study performed at Berkeley on clinically depressed patients. these patients were expected to be in a room filled with mirrors and to grin from ear to ear for 20 minutes every day. after 2 weeks, not a single patient was still depressed.
imagine the power of a smile :D
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