Cheshire Radio – Life Beyond Limits
What happens when life takes an unexpected turn? Cheshire Home Radio – Life Beyond Limits shares the powerful stories of young adults living with spinal cord injuries and the resilience, determination, and hope that define their journeys.
Produced by SCG Advertising + Public Relations on behalf of Cheshire Home, this podcast gives residents a platform to share their experiences, challenges, accomplishments, and aspirations. Through candid conversations, listeners will hear firsthand accounts of adapting to life after injury, pursuing passions, building meaningful relationships, and discovering new possibilities beyond perceived limitations.
Each episode features multiple resident voices, offering unique perspectives on independence, personal growth, and the strength of community. Together, their stories challenge stereotypes, celebrate achievement, and demonstrate that a spinal cord injury does not define a person’s future.
Join us as we amplify voices, inspire understanding, and explore what it truly means to live a life beyond limits.
Cheshire Radio – Life Beyond Limits
Episode 4: Relationships, Support & Reflection
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Stronger Together
Support systems can make all the difference during life’s most difficult moments. In the final episode of the season, five residents reflect on the relationships that have helped shape their journeys, from family and friends to caregivers and fellow residents. They discuss the power of connection, share advice for others facing similar challenges, and offer insight into what keeps them motivated. Their stories serve as a reminder that resilience grows stronger when supported by community, compassion, and hope.
Welcome to Cheshire Home Radio, life beyond limits, where resilience meets possibilities. From our home here in Florham Park, New Jersey, we're sharing the stories of young adults redefining what it means to live with a spinal cord injury. In each episode, you'll hear firsthand accounts of triumph, transformation, and the everyday courage that fuels our residents' journeys, whether it's standing tall again, pursuing higher education, or finding new ways to express creativity. This podcast is a celebration of life beyond limits. Join us as we amplify voices, share victories, and inspire a world where independence knows no limits. Alright, we're back here at Cheshire for the fourth and final episode with Lamar and Brandon. So what's up? What's up, brother?
LamarI'm good, man. How are you?
BrandonChilling, man, chilling. Just trying to keep positive, you know.
LamarYeah, yeah. I felt that.
BrandonYeah, man. So uh let me jump into it here. How did your relationships with your family and friends change after your injury?
LamarUm with family, I feel like it brought us like closer. Okay. To like, you know, be there for each other. Yeah. Just like just like, you know, being for each other and just make sure we're all good. They stay as a family. So stuff like that.
BrandonStick together.
LamarUm, friends-wise, yeah. Very tough before I got injured. You know, I was always outside doing stuff or whatever, having fun. Yeah. So people are gonna be you know, I had some close friends that unfortunately unfortunately didn't realize how severe my situation was and never reached out to me and never cared and it kind of hurt. So yeah, yeah. Uh I'm not mad at them. I don't know how to some people.
BrandonRight. But it hurts. Yeah.
LamarYeah, it hurts.
BrandonEspecially when there are people that you think are your good friends.
LamarYeah, that's you think, you know, people it these people I'm chillin with everyday. I It's not like we don't see each other today, you know, where I go to work, I wake up, you know, we do whatever, chill. And it's just crazy how when I got injured, I was with those two people. And those two people never reached out. Never reached out. Maybe like when I maybe like when I first got injured, but like, like I said, like they didn't know that's the severity of my situation. Right. I got I. I'm still learning more, you know? Right. But yeah, you go. I still got that one good friend, you know, he always been there for me. He's been there since I got hurt day one.
BrandonOh yeah. Oh, okay. That's cool, man.
LamarWell, other than that, all right.
BrandonSo uh what strategies or tools do you use to communicate and maintain connections?
LamarI try to come out of my room just to like talk to people because like isolating yourself is it it doesn't help the situation. It makes it if you get you too depressed or whatever. So it's always good to come out, communicate, talk, laugh, play a couple games or two or whatever. You know, just try to try to just, you know, if you meet somebody, take the number down, then they leave how to have this the communication and connection because I'll tell you one thing. I took somebody's number down down the back when I was in a div a different uh facility and uh our our friendship is good. Uh he he he's a pool and I'm happy for him, so it's always good to meet it for somebody, you know?
BrandonYeah, yeah.
LamarYou know, to uh communicate.
BrandonIs he still in Cheshire? No, no, no. Or not Cheshire at uh he went home. The other place.
LamarI had given the motivation like, yo, we got this. Yeah. And it's it's showing so it wasn't too proud. Cool, cool.
BrandonAlright, and uh what's up, what advice would you give someone who has just experienced a spinal cord injury?
LamarI don't know, because I'm still fresh, so I'm still asking questions.
BrandonYeah.
LamarSo I would just tell the person.
BrandonBut what yeah, what's helped you? What's helped you to get by?
LamarHonestly, I honestly don't know. I just feel like I have a strong I have a strong mindset, so I'm like, alright, I'm in that situation. This is what I gotta do, this is what I gotta focus on. This is what like the task is, you know?
BrandonAnd what motivates you to keep going, even in tough days?
LamarJust to be wake up every day, you know. No matter what what what what my condition is, you know, just to wake up every day, you know.
BrandonJust like an inner push to go to make you go forward. Right on.
LamarI got a couple questions for you today, man. You ready?
BrandonYeah, yeah.
LamarHow did your relationship with your family and friends change after your injury?
BrandonFor me, it's gonna sound a little crazy in the sense of it's probably gonna be different than most people's because my family there was a lot of turmoil going on when I was first in my accident. And and so my my family bes besides my permanent uh my core family, um, they didn't really support me or or really like support yeah, support me. And so I basically after a while just stopped kind of contacting them because they weren't contacting me back or whatever. And so, and I just basically focused on myself. Same with friends. People I thought were friends were they weren't they were really into it. Well, I'm a musician, so around me was always a party. Yeah, and so I thought these people were my friends, but here they were just in it for the party. Yeah, for the party. So when this happened, they all kind of went. They just went their own way, and so it was hard, it was hard. It was it was a very depressing time of my life between being injured and then not having support. But one thing it did do was it forced me to be home and reevaluate myself and reevaluate what I want in life and how I want to live my life now, being paralyzed. And not having support, I learned to do everything by myself shop, put my groceries away, clean my house or my apartment. And so it got me to the point five years later where I could totally live independent. And um, and I if I want to like seven years later, I moved down to Florida for four years. I believe something. Yeah, and I was down there for four years and basically alone, but I went through a lot of stuff, so I know now I can pretty much get through anything, and and not even just support, more so from like nurses and aides that come to your house, I get a lot of support from them.
LamarYeah, that's awesome work.
BrandonYeah.
LamarWhat strategies or tools do you use to communicate and maintain connection?
BrandonWell, I do Facebook and I do kind of stay in contact with some people that way. And I and I just try to text people or call them. At this point, though, count back four years, I was in Florida and then a good four years before that. I basically cut everybody off. Not cut everybody off, I I stopped reaching out. Yes. And when I stopped reaching out, again, nobody contacted me. So I I live now in Jersey instead of Pennsylvania where I'm from, and I feel like I'm starting a new life. So I'm starting with new friends that I'm meeting here and just in general that I'll meet when I move out. And um I I just feel like this is my life now going forward. Like stuff in the past is in the past, and like you, I don't I don't hold any grudges or anything, but you're in my you're in my past, basically. You know what I mean? And and in life, some some people stay, some people go, some people are only in it for a season and not.
LamarAnd so and then it's it solds, it really shows.
BrandonYeah.
LamarThat's best thing. Yeah. How important has support been in your journey?
BrandonUh, like I said, I haven't had a lot, but the support that I've had from people that I that did definitely helped me get through certain times and struggles. So I would say for any for anybody you know, newly in a wheelchair, whatever, just basically trying and failing and learning what you can and can't do and push yourself. And uh, because the more independent and more things you do for yourself, yeah, in the long run you feel better about yourself. So just spend time fall on the ground and try to get back in your chair and and try, you know what I mean? And try or if you can't get in, figure out how to get in your chair because those things are gonna happen. And when they happen, you do it and you're alone. You wanna just freak out and and and that adrenaline, that adrenaline will actually go away. And when that adrenaline goes away, you're not as strong, you're not as pumped as you were to get back in your chair. So it's gonna be that much harder to do it. So it's so staying calm when those things happen and and just focusing and getting back in your chair or whatever, whatever it is. Yeah, that's that's about it.
LamarWhat advice would you give someone who has just experienced a spinal cord injury?
BrandonThere's I'm sure there's many things I could say. I would say it's not the end of the world, and it's life-changing, obviously, but it's not for the bad for bad. It's changing for the good, and it's hard to see that, especially when you're first in your injury. Yeah. But like for me, for instance, it it stopped me dead in my tracks, and I had to kind of learn how to appreciate pushing my my wheelchair down the street, and now I'm noticing, oh, that person made a garden, and that person has beautiful flowers, and just looking at life differently, I I grew to appreciate life. This is 13 years after my accident, and I didn't even think I was gonna live to be this old, and I still feel young, so I still feel like I have a lot ahead of me. And like I said, once you once you're in a wheelchair, you get to ride around everywhere. I mean, while these person is struggling, their hip hurts and their knee hurts, you're driving around. So you're not some struggles are struggles and some aren't. You just have it's just the way that you look at it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know?
LamarWhat motivates you to keep going even on tough days?
BrandonI would say, like, kind of what we were talking about. I feel like there's like an inner soldier in me that just doesn't want to give up. And and there's times that I've given up and I won't go down that road, but uh, there's they were it was hard, and something in me just pushes me to keep going when I feel like I have nothing left in me. And and or God will bring somebody to me that I just needed to hear something, or even me communicating something re re refreshes my memory about something that made me strong, and then that'll motivate me and keep me going. My kids definitely I have two I have two kids. They I always say like I quit drinking after my accident because I don't want to be the drunk dude falling out of his wheelchair and like embarrassing my kids. Yeah, so I quit drinking, and um, yeah, I mean, even at that, that's a motivation just to quit drinking and living a pure life all around, drinking water all the time, eating good food, all that has to do with how my body feels.
BrianYeah, so I had a lot of close friends, you know, and um, you know, a lot of people who knew me through my community.
BrandonRight.
BrianAnd you know, my friends are spread far and wide. So most of my friends, I used to commute to see them. Uh-huh. So now, since my injury, you know, that is out of the picture mainly, you know, 95%. Right. You know, I can get to go to my friends and see them, but you know, I have to arrange transportation, and transportation is very expensive. Right. But who some of my friends now they come to see me. Okay. But some of them, you know, you know, it's hard for them to commute. So where you know, huh? Where are you from? From Jamaica originally. But I mean, yeah, man.
BrandonBut I mean here in oh in Burlington. Oh, okay.
BrianYeah.
BrandonOkay.
BrianSo it's kind of far. But the next best thing is using the phone to communicate. Right, right. You know, I, you know, since my injury, you know, the I've been talking on the phone a lot. You know, sometimes it's a lot for me be talking, talking, talking.
BrandonYeah.
BrianYou know, it's kind of a strange way to communicate with everybody. Right. You know, some of the time it was better seen, going to parties, so and so, you know, a lot of that is gone. And um, you know, my true friends stay and communicate, which is most of them anyway. So you know, that's a good thing.
BrandonWhich strategies or tools do you use to communicate and maintain connections?
BrianSo there we go. Like the phone, the main thing, you know, that's number one. You know, we have all these apps now in which we can, you know, video calls, yeah, yeah, all of that.
BrandonYou see each other.
BrianYeah. And most of it, like, I have to communicate with friends in Jamaica. So WhatsApp is number one right there. It's free, you make calls, you see each other. So that's a blessing at this time, you know. And you know, they have the iPad, send messages through friends. Yeah, yeah. That's good.
BrandonRight now. How important has support been in your injury?
BrianWell, support is crucial. You can't do this without support. A lot change, and getting support from other people is key in that way. Since the injury, it's been hard, man. It's been really, really hard.
BrandonYeah. What advice would you give someone who has just experienced a spinal cord injury?
BrianOh my god. Well, what I would say to that person is support, as you say, is number one. As I say is number one. You have to keep the bond going with all your family members and friends. And this is not a short journey, it's a long journey. Right. So you have to be prepared for that. Follow all of the stuff that the the PT and the OT is giving you, right? Is giving you to do all your activities and exercises because that is very important. Right. That's number one, like um getting especially to get your mobility back. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Right. Whatever abilities you have, if you can use your arms, if you can use your if you can transfer, you know, those are good things. What motivates you to keep going even on tough days? Surviving this incident that I had is like you think about that every day, and you say that yo, you survive that accident. And you know, it's like that is the main thing you think about all the time. That's how lucky you are, how blessed you are. You just feel that feeling all the time. And on tough days, uh, on days where um you feel down, depressed, I listen to music. I say, what do you do to get out of it? Yeah, out of that, no, you you listen a lot of music, you talk to people. You know, some of the time what you're going through is not just you alone. Right. Somebody close to you might be going through the same thing. Especially being here. Exactly, especially being here. I learn a lot from everybody here, man. And trust me that I got a wealth of information from them that I'm using up until this time. So just you know, people around you are there to help you. Just keep on getting advice from people and you'll find your way through this.
SteveHow did your relationship with family and friends change after your injury?
HasanUh the change. Well, what happened in my injury was kind of revolved around family, so it left us in a place where we just left well enough good to where we couldn't talk about it. Well, my injury or what happened to my other family counterpart. So but for the most part, family is great. Friends not so much. Lost a lot of friends due to the nature of my injury. Started to see a lot of people like they once you were not. Once I wasn't able to provide or be of any help to anyone, and I and now I was the one needing help, and everyone that I had helped throughout my journey just seemed to kinda like turn and run or use the excuse, hey, I couldn't get to you. COVID kind of put a lot of strain on things. Before that, I was getting like visits every day. And after COVID thing, you know, you couldn't have visitors. You know, my true friends still came and visited me even when we had to talk through the glass like we were inmates. So it changed because the friends I had every day, I have no more. My true friends that I've had for 20 and 30 years are still my friends. And even some of the guys that I was with on a day-to-day basis. I've known them for 20 plus years, but due to the nature of what was surrounding me getting injured, they just felt like they their egos couldn't handle the blow of me being called something that uh no one wants to be called. But at the end of the day, it was a false, false narrative, no just propaganda. I was kind of used as a pawn in the court to try to get someone to tell on something that I believe they didn't do, but they just tried to use me to see if they can get him to tell something. So they said I was telling. And then I got to the street, and then here I go in a chair, and there you go. And being that I'm not a gunslinger or a violent person, we kinda ended up here where no one is gonna be held accountable.
SteveAll right, let's move on. What strategies or tools do you use to communicate and maintain connections nowadays?
HasanNobody wants to be injured, right? But in today's time, you would want to be injured now versus being injured anytime later due to a lot of technological advances. We have FaceTime, we have adaptive tools that we could use. I use an adaptive reacher, I just ordered some adaptive tongs so that I can cook, adaptive forks, knives. So there's a lot of things that we have now that people that got injured a lot earlier and never had. Even with the, you know, advancements of stem cell, like the machine we got the RX, you know, there's a lot of different things that have come out to like move us forward. And before I was injured, I never understood like what was going on with people in wheelchairs. And this is uh it's a whole nother world, you know, uh besides what people may think.
SteveThere's a lot of information out there. Yeah. You know, especially with YouTube and Google and Yeah.
HasanYou can you can almost find anything you want or someone incredible that inspires you to get up, get out of bed every day.
SteveAll right, all right. Come on, let you do you get up on your own. You don't need me. You know that. What advice would you give someone who has just experienced a spinal cord injury? Because we've got a couple newbies here at uh Cheshire.
HasanThe advice I would give a newly injured person is first of all, we have these phone mounts on our phone. A lot of people in our position are on their phone most of the time, whether playing games or surfing social media or whatever. I would tell them to search new mobility, adaptive culture, I believe it is. But there's a few online newspapers that deal with adaptability. And there's a lot of information in those articles that you will not find like in your facility. And a lot of times you would think that the people profit off this industry by home care. You would think they would know a lot of these things. They want you to figure all that out by yourself. They only come to work to do what they come to work to do. And you would think that was, you know, find out new innovative ways on how to get you out of this chair. And that is not the job. The job is to keep you moving, try to keep you motivated, feed you, care for you, and their knowledge of caring for you, which is fill you with this, put you to bed, wake up and do it all over again. You know, let's stretch you, put you on the bike, and that's basically it. So other than that, it's on you. You're gonna have to do your own digging, your own finding, and you have the tools to do it. You know, we like I said in this age and time, we have the tools to find out the things we need, especially now with ChatGPT and every other AI assistive thing. Use these things for what they're here for and not for fun and games. If you want to be serious about, you know, your health, your intention now in this chair, if you want to get out of the chair, if you want to be more mobile in the chair, you know, you're gonna have to do your own due diligence. Like I said, these people are here to come do their job and go home. The rest is on you. Uh and as much in the beginning as you wanna be baby and you feel like, you know, everything is crumbling and the world is falling down on you. Hey, ain't no help coming but the little bit of help that you're gonna get here. The rest of the help is gonna fortunately, unfortunately, unfortunately, come from you. But it'll show you who you are in the process of trying to find a way. So it's a journey.
SteveYes, it is, my friend. What motivates you to keep going even on tough days?
HasanUh, my children and my grandkids. I know it don't look like I got grandkids, but five of them I do have, and I only have two children, so you do the math. But um, yeah, the the the kiddos. They keep me going, they keep me motivated. I wake up with a purpose. Forget my number one supporter in God and in guide is God. He goes without mentioning. Like I said, he wakes me up, I look at them, I get motivation, and uh they want to play in my chair, they want to drive around a facility, you know, we can we've been to New York in the chair, we've been to shows in a chair, you know. Don't think because you're in the chair your life is over. There are accessible things to do, maybe not as many as we would wish. But life isn't over because you're in this chair. Yeah, that's what motivates me even on those days when you wake up and your body is aching and telling you, hey, you don't want to go to the gym today, do you? Your traps are hurting, your your arm is weird, your tricep is jumping because you're dehydrated. Hey, get your ass up and get some water and get to it. That's that's all the motivation and go get it that I got for you.
SteveI've seen your family. They're active and they're loving. And you're a loving grandfather and father, so I just want you to know it doesn't go unseen. I appreciate that.
HasanIt's good to hear. Yeah. It's always good to be recognized.
SteveYes, it is, my friend.
HasanHow did your relationship with your family or friends change after your injury?
SteveAfter my injury, I always had a close family unit. And they were just very supportive the whole time. You know, I I went from Kessler, and then they wanted to put me in a building with like senior citizens, you know, and I'm like, I was 24, and I'm like, yeah, I can't imagine coming home at like three in the morning, you know, after clubbing and whatnot, you know, and then having like the ladies like looking, yeah, he's he's coming home again, and he it looks like he has a girl, you know, and uh I just didn't want to do that. So I had a roommate prior to the accident, and he said, Why don't we buy a house? And I said, You want to buy a house with me? And he's like, Yeah, why not? So we bought a house together, and he was really good with like, you know, building things and whatnot. He was a construction worker, and then he became uh an adjuster, so he knew all about measurements and you know, codes and all that stuff. And we found a house, he built the ramp right away, and I was in the house and able to get around each room was a ranch, and we lived together for like 10 years, and uh we never fought. We we both DJ'd at a nightclub, and then it was like, you know, it's just life just kept going on.
HasanLet's just pause this one minute, a DJ.
SteveDJ.
HasanGive me the DJ name.
SteveWell, it's just DJ Booth, man. DJ Booth. I like it. DJ Booth. Well, my son's name is Dylan, and it's a James and Booth. So he goes, years later, he goes, I see why he named me James, DJ Booth. It took me a while to figure it out. Oh and I didn't I didn't plan on that.
HasanThat was just a DJ Booth coming out of you.
SteveIt just came out of me. Yeah, okay. So literally, yeah, yeah. You know, what I did was I didn't change my relationships with anybody. You know, I was in a wheelchair. This is back in 1984, when the ADA Act wasn't even enacted. And uh so they didn't have the little scooped-out sidewalks where you could just, you know, go down the street and things like that. You just have to jump over those curves. But I made it work and and but I didn't stop living. I I I went out, I dated, I you know, I partied, I uh I enjoyed my life, you know, as if I was able-bodied, you know. I I mean I I I played tennis. You're allowed two bounces. You know, I and I I just was always just active. I danced, I you know, I mean, it was it was fun times, you know. You know, I didn't, like I said, let it get me down or anything like that. You know, it's really fortunate to have friends that were like, let's let's go, and you know.
HasanWell, uh in the 80s, friends were friends. True. And parties were parties in the 80s. Yes, they were. I think the golden age time in the 80s, you know. You can't don't get me in trouble here. I won't, but you know, the eighties was a great time to be alive.
SteveYes.
HasanYou know, you could have been paralyzed in the bed, written at that time, somebody would have danced with you in the club, in the bed, just spent you around all night. Yeah. Yeah. But cool. That's what's up.
SteveYeah. So I was fortunate, you know what I mean? To have friends that were supportive, family that was supportive. And you know, that that helps you through. And but I also didn't stop being me, and I'd meet new people and date, and you know, do normal everyday things for a 24-year-old. Oh, okay. And not like stay home and, you know, watch TV and not go out and you know, just be confined, you know.
HasanGood. You didn't you didn't live in your injury. Yeah. Absolutely. What I see nowadays, a lot of people well not a lot of people, some people I see that they live in their injury, meaning that once they were injured, life as they knew it had changed as it does for all of us, but they just stay stuck in that realm of life. And it seems like they just cannot come out of it. And they're just miserable and sad and wants everybody else to be miserable and sad with them. Yeah. And I'm not gonna allow you to bring me down with you on your Debbie Downer, right?
SteveYou know, and wallowing yourself.
HasanExactly. I'm not on that kick, Jack. We got work to do. So do it. I'm with you 100%. What strategies or tools do you use to communicate and maintain connection?
SteveWell, what does everybody use? You use your cell phone, FaceTime people, I'll talk to people. I I have a van so I can drive and, you know, meet people, go out, make sure I get back here and in time for whatever it is, dinner or bed, you know, and uh and you don't stop living. That's right.
HasanAnd god damn it, I should have talked to you before I just got a van myself that I cannot drive as of yet. But god damn it, Booth. I should've asked you about the insurance prices. God damn cars.
SteveYou know, you're not kidding. Yeah.
HasanHoly cranberry sauce. It's like what's going on here? I thought insurance for a handicap person was gonna be a lot less than what it was for someone that under the age of 25. I know. Almost four grand a month, four grand a year, I'm sorry, but that's still super high.
SteveYeah, it's a big nut. For you know for someone that's disabled and yeah, just working with your limited in your disability, and you could only have, but there's so much money in your bank and you can't earn this and you can't do that.
HasanAnd whoa, for a minute, it almost had me contemplating going back to the streets. I wanted to go back to the streets, but that ain't what I'm doing, people. That's not the way. Seeing those prices, I'm like, oh boy, I might have to recalculate some things. You know.
SteveAn Uber driver.
HasanOh. No, I ain't I ain't about to travel back the old way. Got new ideas, like I said, there's so many new inner ways to do things, and there's so many new inner ways, innovative ways to make money. You know, even being disabled. We don't know the status of what the hell tomorrow is gonna be out here, but don't lose the faith. Keep going on and moving strong.
SteveYeah. That's all we can do.
HasanThat's about it. But next question: how important has support been in your journey?
SteveWell, I mean, how important is it to have people in your life? I mean, having people in your life, that's living. You know, whether it's family or friends, acquaintances. You know, I I I wake up in the morning and then you know, I'm just happy I'm waking up. I like to laugh and enjoy myself, as you well know. And uh, you know, that's living. So, I mean, without that, what do you got?
HasanWhat advice would you give someone who's just been injured in a wheelchair?
SteveI think the main thing is it's not the end of the world. We all have a path and we take it. Right? No. If you go right, okay, you might have an accident. You go left, you might be safe. But that's life. And I try to tell the newbies that want to listen, because that's the big part, is wanting to listen because they're so young and they know everything. You know what I mean? Wow. That I've been in a chair for forty-one years and that's longer than most of them have been alive.
HasanYeah.
SteveAnd probably their parents. But the bottom line is, you know, you gotta get up and you gotta make each day better than the last day. And you gotta believe things are gonna get better. But you also have to work at it. Nothing's just given to you. I mean, I had to relearn a job. I left my job because I couldn't do it any longer. I went back to school, I learned a trade, and you know, that's what I did. But I'm not complaining. I mean, I've got a wife for 31 years, I've got two beautiful kids that are gonna be 29 uh May 6th, and I've got a granddaughter who's gonna be one May 3rd. So I have a lot of Tauruses in my life right now that I I wouldn't miss it for the world. But this still didn't just happen. You know what I mean? I mean, I lived my life and can't just be stuck in a box and think it's gonna change, because it's not. You have to make the change that you want to see in the world. Quoting I think I don't know who it was. Anyway, I think it's really important that the newbies get the message that we're not just here to like have fun and you know whatnot. We need to like think about the future.
HasanYeah, it's it's built on work ethic. Because if you haven't been in the gym, you don't wanna go to the gym, and you're gonna stay stuck, you're not you your limbs are gonna start stiffening up, you're gonna start breaking down muscle and bone, and then you're really gonna be miserable. Cause a lot of people do see this chair and think, wow, like it's just a chair, like even that is so hard, but they don't know like all of the underlying shit that comes with this chair. Like you gotta worry about wounds, you gotta worry about sitting like this too long, sitting like that too long, you can't be over this way, you gotta be over that way, you know, and you're gonna need to be in that gym every day, working on something, like, or you yourself has to be, if you don't feel like you're getting enough uh gym time, you yourself are gonna have to find ways to do things yourself, like to stretch yourself, to you know, at least move your neck back and forth. You might have to do something, you know, and again, uh between ChatGPT and YouTube, it is nothing that you cannot find, you know, where somebody is doing something that you will get inspired by. So yeah, I understand what you mean about that, and the newbies not really, you know. And some of them are still living in their injury. You know, some people just have to you know, we it's on us to try to help uh help them get out of that. But if they wanna stay stuck, then you know that's that that's unfortunately on you. What motivates you to keep going even on tough days?
SteveHassan, I I seldom have tough days. I really do. I wake up with a smile on my face, and it's just because you know what? I am where I am. I'm going through a lot of health issues right now. Should put me down, but I'm not letting it get me down. Not gonna get me down and I have my friends, my family, and my faith. And you know what? As long as I have those three, I'm in good shape. And I I laugh a lot here. You know, this has been great for me. You know, not being isolated, you know, in a house and I'm I'm up and I'm doing things, whether it's playing a game or you know, poker or horse racing or whatever. You know what I mean? These are things that I never thought I'd be doing. But I'm doing them and I'm enjoying it. Basically what motivates is to see tomorrow.
HasanAbsolutely.
SteveI want to be around when my uh granddaughter, you know, gets older and watch her graduate various schools and things like that. And I wanna be around to see my kids grow.
HasanThat's right. You just wait till she gets big enough to wanna drive around in that chair.
SteveOh yeah.
HasanIt's gonna be those fun days.
SteveYeah.
HasanThat's when you get the get the good times out of it.
SteveShe likes to toggle and like you know. Exactly. And if it's like beeping and stuff, she's just playing with it, and I'm just thinking, oh, that's gonna be trouble.
HasanYeah, my grandson can't get enough of blowing the horn.
SteveBlowing the horn. Blowing the horn on it. Yeah, yeah.
HasanHe'll just press that button for hours and hours and just annoy the hell out of you by pressing that button all day. But go for it.
SteveYeah.
HasanThat's these are gonna be the great times that they remember, you remember, you know, like damn grew up so big you can't even sit on my lap and want to play in the chair no more. Like they won't grow up and they gonna be telling you, Oh, I ain't got the time right now, grandpa. I got I got things to do. You know.
SteveBut I mean you're an inspiration to a lot of these guys here. And uh you know, I admire that about you. Is that you're always very even keeled. You know, you don't lose your mind. And I try to be the same. Even though there's times you wanna lose it.
HasanThere's times you wanna let loose let it go, right? But I don't hold it together today. I don't wanna hold it together today.
SteveRight.
HasanSomehow he gives you the strength to hold it together for that day, and then you know, he wake you up the next day and you try to make it better than you. Yeah, also. I got it. I you know, it sometimes it's testing, you know, but that's good. That's good. I think we made a great interview today. Here, Booth. I enjoyed it. I'm always glad to interview you and have you as my interviewer. You know, it seems like we gel the best together and everything.
SteveThank you for joining us on Cheshire Home Radio, Life Beyond Limits. We hope today's stories of courage, resilience, and triumph have inspired you to see life and ability from a new perspective. To learn more about Cheshire Home and how we're empowering young adults to live beyond their spinal cord injuries. Visit us at CheshireHomes.org. Remember, every journey has its challenges but with determination support and a little bit of hope, life beyond limits is not possible extraordinary. Until next time, keep moving forward, keep dreaming big, and keep celebrating every step of the journey.
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