Hidden Secrets about Aging and Retirement - Part 1 of a 3 Part Series

This is one of those topics that I really wish that I didn’t know about. However, I do know about it, and need to make sure that the message is loud and clear! Only 1 in every 5 people knows that 1 in every 3 workers will be injured during their working lifetime. Allow me to share our story, and I hope that you find some useful advice and information.

It began as any other normal work day. I got hubby out the door, with all his work paraphilia in tow. Little did I know that in just 3 short hours after him leaving for work, our lives would be forever changed. What we have learned and have seen through this process, changed our perspective on some things, and yours might too after reading this article.

The Nightmare Begins

Twelve days from our crossing the Continental Divide pictured above, we crossed what we now call the continental divide of life. On October 10, 2012, my husband had a ground level fall walking on a job site out of town, before he was to conduct a meeting on the site. That morning, he sustained a spinal cord injury at the critical C3-C4 level of his spine.

To make matters worse, he sustained a rare spinal cord injury call Brown-Sequard syndrome. Brown-Sequard spinal cord injury is a rare spinal cord injury that left him as an Incomplete Quadriplegic; where he has limited movement on one side of his body, and no feeling or sensation on the other side.

While there were several issues that occurred through this experience, bottom line is that he able to stand for short periods and is able to walk with a cane. At the level that he broke his neck c3-c4, this is the area of the spine that is a critical level. This area is just at approximately your chin level, and usually results in complete and total paralysis.

We were able to see this first hand because of friend of mine’s son was injured in a car accident and broke his neck at the same c3-c4 level and is confined to a wheelchair.

Interestingly enough her son’s accident was in July of 2012, I aired a radio show program dedicated to him and his music in August 2012, and my husband’s accident was October 10, 2012.

We truly have been able to see firsthand that there is a fine line between walking and being totally paralyzed.

Through this experience have had a crash course in faith, neurological medicine, doctors, spinal cord injuries (SCI’s), Workman Compensation in Texas, rehabilitation, insurance, social security, Medicare and disability, and retirement.

I wrote a book A Life of Significance which was first published in 2011. One of the stories that I share in the book is of a family who lost a child due to hospital neglect and the lessons that Misty’s Mom, Joann learned. I truly believe God was preparing me to be forearmed for what was soon coming down our path.

Through the story of Misty Lynn, I was given the strength to deal with all the “White Coats” that my husband and I had to deal with because of his accident. The one thing that I hung onto was something that Joann, Misty’s mom said while sharing her story was:

“Just because a doctor has a badge saying he is a doctor, remember he is still just a man, that badge doesn’t mean anything!”

Tragedy and accidents will show you where your faith is. While through the process I can’t say that we had Perfect Faith, faith was all we had such as it was and currently is.

From the moment that I walked into the first hospital’s Emergency Room, faith was all that I had. I had a husband who wanted me to take him home, even though he couldn’t walk or use his right side. A “White Coat” ER doctor, who released him and then had to re-admit him because he couldn’t walk. All I had was my Heavenly Father, whom I call Daddy God.

And what a Daddy He is. When we finally got my husband sent by ambulance to a better equipped hospital, my husband’s supervisor was there waiting for us to arrive, about 10 hours after the accident, and the words of comfort that he spoke brought a peace over me and my husband. His words were:

“Let’s give it the next 48 hours and see where we are.”

I truly believe that was a message sent from heaven, because what happened within those 48 hours is nothing short of a miracle, with Hell looming its ominous gloom and doom torment.

We finally get my husband in a room about 11pm that evening, and around midnight in comes neurosurgeon #1. This “white coat” badge wearing doctor walks into our room.

His coal Black hair, sticking out everywhere on top of his head, and jet black hair coming out of his ears, truly I immediately felt evil had entered the room.

His first words were, “you should have surgery right away to minimize the damage to your spinal cord, however, don’t expect anything more than what you have right now as far as movement goes. (Remember nothing on the right side of his body worked at this point.) Surgery will only stabilize your spine. The damage is already done. But I don’t have time in my schedule to do this for you this week, so I will call in my associate.”

While this surgeon was telling us all this gloom and doom information, all I kept hearing in my head was a scripture from Hebrews 10:8-10 paraphrased, “he takes away the first to establish the second.”

It was as if the Word was standing between the words that this evil looking doctor was saying and my brain. So at this point, all we could do was be thankful that this wasn’t going to be our surgeon.

While the scripture was still ringing in my head all the pre-operation testing began at 8am. We are now at almost 24 hours since the accident and we didn’t see “the associate” until mid-afternoon and wow what a contrast!

From the first moment that “the associate” walked in, it was as if he had a bright light surrounding him, it even made that hospital room brighten up as well.

Every word that came out of his mouth was hope filled about what our expectations should be about surgery. He was very upbeat that there would be improvement; however it may take some time after the surgery.

This was fulfillment of the scripture that I heard during the first doctor’s visit, but that was a very long twelve hours of waiting for the second one to show up.

I didn’t intend for this to be a bible study lesson. However, I do believe that it is important that you understand the basis of our discovering some hidden secrets about aging and retirement.

I discovered a key to life scripture a while back when I was writing another article. That “key to life” scripture as I called it is found in Isaiah 33:6.

“Wisdom and Knowledge shall be the stability of your times.”

Simple stated, Wisdom comes from the mouth of God and knowledge knows how to apply that wisdom in a given situation.

The lessons that my husband and I have learned through this accident are important for all of us to learn. Much to our surprise, we learned that only 1 in every 5 people even knows this information. And my mission is to inform and enlighten you to secrets about aging, life and retirement that you my not know.

It is time to get educated folks, and through the next 2 parts of this three part series I will be sharing on a variety of topics from Aging, Disability insurance, Long-term Care insurance, Workman’s’ Compensation in Texas, Social Security disability benefits, Medicare, to Retirement.

This is information that had we known about it before the accident, we would have made some changes to our family budget.

Be sure to read part 2 of this 3 part series on Aging and Retirement.