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Back in 1992, on election day, I went to work with plans to vote after work, like millions of others. I worked 8-5 as a secretary. Not a physically hard job at all. No reason to have requested an absentee ballot, ..... 1/12
....which at that time was reserved for those who couldn& #39;t get to the polls due to illness or disability. Meaning someone like me? Had no reason to request one. Which was fine. However. A few hours into work, I fell down the stairs at work. Tripped on a piece of the carpet. 2/12
I grabbed for the handrail, which helped slow my fall. But I could not, when I finally landed, feel my legs. Or move them. I lay there on the landing between the first and second floors terrified. All I could think was "How am I going to vote?". Ambulance arrived. 3/12
Fire department arrived. I was loaded on a stretcher. Taken to the hospital. Where "feel" tests were done, and I had no feeling in my legs. So off to xray. During this time, I was strapped to the backboard, and my head was immobilized. I could not move except my hands. 4/12
I was, according to the doctor, paralyzed, but it was not clear if it was temporary or permanent. Again, my only thought was "how on earth am I going to vote?" Well, until I had to go potty. Xrays come back. By this time my boyfriend who I lived with (and later married, then 5/12
divorced) was called while he was at work. I was given some medicine, both a steroid and a pain medication. To reduce swelling in my spine, and lower my pain in my back. "Can I vote here please? isn& #39;t there a way for people to vote in the hospital?" I was that concerned 6/12
about voting. I wasn& #39;t worried, at the time, about this parallelization I had. Voting. That was my concern. The steroid did what it needed to, swelling decreased, and I could once again feel and move my legs after a few hours. Boyfriend (BF) picked me up from the hopsital. 7/12
Now, the BF was abusive. (won& #39;t get into why I married him on this thread). And he was pissed that he had to take time off work to come get me. I asked him to stop at the polling place so I could vote. I was moving VERY slowly, as my legs still weren& #39;t 100%. In fact 8/12
the hospital wanted to admit me overnight. I wanted to vote. So I declined. It was that important to me. And I knew once I got home the BF would make me pay for both falling, and bugging him to stop so I could vote. But I wanted to vote. I *HAD* to vote. And I did. 9/12
I hobbled up the steps to the church that the polling place was. I struggled to walk to the tables, then to the little booth. I struggled to walk down the steps, and struggled to get into BF& #39;s truck. Not once did he leave the truck to help me. Because that was part of my 10/12
punishment. When we got home, where we lived on the 2nd floor of a 4-plex, he pushed me in my back up the stairs. I lost feeling in my legs again for a short bit. But I got to vote. Why am I sharing this story? Not to prove I& #39;m some sucker for pain and punishment. 11/12
It& #39;s that if that were to happen again this year? I& #39;d do the same thing. Voting this year? It& #39;s more important than in 1992. People need to get out and vote. Because our lives depend on it, unlike in 1992. Our nation depends on it. Earth depends on it. #VOTE 
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