“Having a disability changes your whole life, not just your attitude,” Dole said. “Prior to my injury I was a pretty good athlete, but afterwards I learned to apply myself more and made good grades for a change.”
“Each and every physical injury is different, regardless of what the diagnosis says, and each person experiences their loss differently,” says Fertig, who became paralyzed after a motorcycle accident about 20 years ago. “[But] the things that change are in your life, which then becomes a new part of your life. It’s the new normal.”
The stresses of a long-term physical or cognitive disability can take their toll, and Karel says veterans who suffer catastrophic injuries are atsuch as depression and anxiety. But generally, through treatment, most individuals do eventually learn to adjust, even if that means reevaluating goals and priorities.
Marianne Shaughnessy, director of geriatric research, education and clinical centers at the VA’s Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care, says this process of acceptance tends to happen in three stages: people apply the lessons of their prior life experiences to develop coping mechanisms; use those coping mechanisms to adapt and; and lean on both care providers and family and friends for support.
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A look at the life of Sen. Bob DoleFormer Senator Bob Dole of Kansas served as a congressman and then senator from 1961 to 1996. A veteran of World War II, he was seriously injured in combat and suffered life-long paralysis in his right arm and hand. He ran for vice president with Gerald Ford and for the Republican nomination for president twice, winning the nomination in 1996, but lost the election to Bill Clinton. Sen. Robert J. Dole sits outside of his office at the U.S. Capitol, in May 1988.
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