Our Friend, Marion,(Midge) Needs a Helping Hand
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Our friend, Midge, needs a helping hand.
April 26th is her survival day- a celebration of life day
Who is Midge?
Until recently, Midge volunteered two days per week at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Cambridge and Charlestown, and an additional one day a week at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington.
She serves as the Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Disability Resource Center located on the North Shore. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Chapter of the Spinal Cord Injury Association, and was appointed to the Saugus Disability Commission and the Saugus Affordable Housing Commission.
Midge is a Consumer Advocate, a Back-Up Facilitator for a Support Group for spinal cord injurys, and a Peer Mentor at the Spauding Rehabilitation Center at both Cambridge and Charlestown. Midge also speaks at St. Joseph’s School in Wakefield, educating children about others with disabilities.
Midge is also quadriplegic.
On April 26th 2005, the railing on Midge’s back deck collapsed as she was leaning over to clip a stray branch. She fell five feet to the ground, breaking her neck and leaving her paralyzed from the breastbone down. She was 55 years old.
For an extremely independent woman, with a full life and a beloved career, this was a devasting lifestyle change. But Midge resolved to fight, and she does every single day She says,“I’m doing better than the doctors expected. At first, I was paralyzed completely with a ventilator and a feeding tube, and they told me I might be like Christopher Reeve. But with a lot of willpower, I have come off the ventilator and feeding tube and I’ve got more movement in my arms and some feeling in my back.”
Despite her improvement, however, Midge is not free from debilitating pain in her arms, which are rotated outward. Botox injections had offered some relief, but the Covid- 19 pandemic has prevented her from receiving them.
Since the accident, Midge depends on caregivers to move her, feed her, and care for her in every way. Limited mobility in her arm and fingers allows her to use an adapted phone by tapping with the back of her hand, but she is unable to do even the simple task of using a television remote control. Nevertheless, she has accepted her condition, and has said, “it could be worse.”
And indeed it has become worse. Fifteen months ago, Midge developed a pressure sore, requiring her to stay in bed 20-22 hours per day. For a dynamo like Midge, this was a terrible blow.
To make matters EVEN worse, this month Midge suffered a heart attack. Had her care attendant not stayed 15 minutes longer than usual, she would have died. “God isn’t ready for me, yet” she exclaims!
Why am I sharing Midge’s story? It’s simple:
If Midge is to continue to give to her community as she has, she requires additional care. For her safety, she requires additional care. Funding does not allow her to get 24/7 care, so she pays out of pocket for caregivers to stay the additional hours. Her many friends cannot visit to help fill in the gap because of the Covid-19 virus. Midge is extremely susceptible to pneumonia and must take additional care to stay isolated from friends. I am trying to raise money for 7 hours of additional care a day.
Midge is a peer mentor for those with similar injuries. She wants those in like situations to know there is hope and a new life after a spinal injury. She is a survivor and a heroine: In 2010 she competed in the Ms. Wheelchair of Massachusetts, she has been nominated for the Myra Kraft Community VP Awards for her outstanding community volunteerism, and to me and many others, she is a daily inspiration.
Midge is a survivor, a mentor, an inspiration, and a giver, and now it is time for us to give back to her. Please donate whatever you can. Thank you.
April 26th is her survival day- a celebration of life day
Who is Midge?
Until recently, Midge volunteered two days per week at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Cambridge and Charlestown, and an additional one day a week at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington.
She serves as the Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Disability Resource Center located on the North Shore. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Chapter of the Spinal Cord Injury Association, and was appointed to the Saugus Disability Commission and the Saugus Affordable Housing Commission.
Midge is a Consumer Advocate, a Back-Up Facilitator for a Support Group for spinal cord injurys, and a Peer Mentor at the Spauding Rehabilitation Center at both Cambridge and Charlestown. Midge also speaks at St. Joseph’s School in Wakefield, educating children about others with disabilities.
Midge is also quadriplegic.
On April 26th 2005, the railing on Midge’s back deck collapsed as she was leaning over to clip a stray branch. She fell five feet to the ground, breaking her neck and leaving her paralyzed from the breastbone down. She was 55 years old.
For an extremely independent woman, with a full life and a beloved career, this was a devasting lifestyle change. But Midge resolved to fight, and she does every single day She says,“I’m doing better than the doctors expected. At first, I was paralyzed completely with a ventilator and a feeding tube, and they told me I might be like Christopher Reeve. But with a lot of willpower, I have come off the ventilator and feeding tube and I’ve got more movement in my arms and some feeling in my back.”
Despite her improvement, however, Midge is not free from debilitating pain in her arms, which are rotated outward. Botox injections had offered some relief, but the Covid- 19 pandemic has prevented her from receiving them.
Since the accident, Midge depends on caregivers to move her, feed her, and care for her in every way. Limited mobility in her arm and fingers allows her to use an adapted phone by tapping with the back of her hand, but she is unable to do even the simple task of using a television remote control. Nevertheless, she has accepted her condition, and has said, “it could be worse.”
And indeed it has become worse. Fifteen months ago, Midge developed a pressure sore, requiring her to stay in bed 20-22 hours per day. For a dynamo like Midge, this was a terrible blow.
To make matters EVEN worse, this month Midge suffered a heart attack. Had her care attendant not stayed 15 minutes longer than usual, she would have died. “God isn’t ready for me, yet” she exclaims!
Why am I sharing Midge’s story? It’s simple:
If Midge is to continue to give to her community as she has, she requires additional care. For her safety, she requires additional care. Funding does not allow her to get 24/7 care, so she pays out of pocket for caregivers to stay the additional hours. Her many friends cannot visit to help fill in the gap because of the Covid-19 virus. Midge is extremely susceptible to pneumonia and must take additional care to stay isolated from friends. I am trying to raise money for 7 hours of additional care a day.
Midge is a peer mentor for those with similar injuries. She wants those in like situations to know there is hope and a new life after a spinal injury. She is a survivor and a heroine: In 2010 she competed in the Ms. Wheelchair of Massachusetts, she has been nominated for the Myra Kraft Community VP Awards for her outstanding community volunteerism, and to me and many others, she is a daily inspiration.
Midge is a survivor, a mentor, an inspiration, and a giver, and now it is time for us to give back to her. Please donate whatever you can. Thank you.
Organizer
Janet Spadafora Rivers
Organizer
Stoneham, MA