Sue Lehman
President - Dreams Go On
This is my story...
‘Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It is the way it is.
The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.’
Fourteen years ago I was driving home alone and had a car wreck.
I was in coma for three months with a brain injury.
About 60% of the time I walk with the walker, and 40% of the time I use a
wheelchair.
I’m OK with this now – I haven’t ‘accepted’ the wheelchair… that word
‘acceptance’ just IS NOT in my dictionary.
No doctor has ever told me I wouldn’t walk so I’ll probably try to walk with no
cane or walker forever. That’s just the way I am.
I was walking using a walker four years, then I walked with a cane. After
my knee surgery 2 years ago I went back to using the walker. By Christmas
I plan to be using the cane again. Why? Strength. The
key was, is now & always will be strength.
Everything we do takes strength…
…getting out of bed, washing clothes, showering, preparing meals, brushing your
teeth, working, and walking.
I added another physical activity that takes strength:
HORSEBACK RIDING!
I could go on for days how horses have impacted my life, but in a nutshell
horses were my life and still are.
I am in complete control of a thousand pound animal while riding – now that’s
strength!
My physical strength has greatly improved my mental strength.
My car wreck damaged my vocal cords. So the computer & e-mail are now voice.
Literally.
Four things mainly have gotten me through thus far…
my Family, my Friends, my Attitude, and the Internet. They are helping
to continue this awesome journey...
I started a therapeutic riding business in 2005: Dreams Go On www.DreamsGoOn.com
It's now a non-profit organization with an awesome board of fifteen people and
over fifty volunteers.
Easter Seals and Blair Family Solutions are collaborative partners.
This year we have five horses and over fifty physically and mentally
challenged riders.
Why? Because anything is possible.
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