Erin Field grew up in central Maine. She went to Goucher College in Maryland and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English. She is 26 years old. She is currently living in Florida. In July of 2017, she sustained a spinal cord injury at the C5/C6 level when a chimney collapsed on her. I’m working on going to law school for disability rights and advocacy, which I am very passionate about!
Imagine being a young vibrant college almost college graduate, with everything going for you, and in seconds, while enjoying someone's company your falling in love with and both of you are looking at the beautiful skylights of the city of Boston and within seconds, a chimney falls down on top of your chest and you will never have the freedom of taking care of yourself again. This was not Erin's image of her next couple of years. She was going on to Law school. She and Jack were both going abroad for their majors. Life was going to be so good. Freedom... to take a walk, to drive around for fresh air, to take a shower when you feel gritty.....the littlest things that we all take advantage of are gone. Most of them forever. However, Erin chose not to let those thoughts to chose her realization. She chose to live. She chose to fight. She chose to be positive.
She is still trying to love her new life. And then she remembers that it's not her disabilities, it's her abilities that matter. She is grateful for what she can still do and the strength that she has gained. She is also very grateful for her family, friends, and all the people that she has met along her journey. She's actually glad to still be alive.
Jack is her boyfriend and has been since one week before her injury. Jack chose her. He also chose to be her caretaker after she came home from the hospital. He chose this because he fell in love with her, not because of any guilt or a sense of duty. Everyone has a right to their own opinion but in this episode, I am going to ask you to skip over this if you have any negative thoughts about Jack's decision to stay with Erin...or Erin's decision to let him.
This story of a Life Struggle is in Erin's words. Please respect them.
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You may also follow her on Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/erin.fieldd
If you have a struggle that you are fighting to win or have won and want to share it to help others not to feel alone, please write to Christy @ strugglesarehard@gmail.com
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