It Doesn't Define Me: How I Rebuilt My Life After Surviving an Ischemic Stroke to My Spinal Cord

After surviving an ischemic stroke to his spinal cord that robbed him of his independence, Chris embarked on the battle of a lifetime - the fight to get his life back and show the world there is more to a person than a disability.Chris felt his feet, still in surgical stockings, touch the floor the first time he tried to stand after undergoing cardiac surgery. Instead of standing beside his gurney, Chris immediately fell to his knees onto the cold, hard linoleum floor in the CVICU.In the coming days Chris discovered that he could no longer run, walk or even stand and he was unable to feed himself, dress himself or even turn himself in his hospital bed. Learning that some damage had occurred to his spinal cord, the future Chris had planned for himself and his fianc