Maine Voices: A car accident left me paralyzed. Home helpers let me work, support my family

I was 18 and was driving home from Toronto with friends I had met while playing college soccer. It was a rainy morning. We did hydroplaning in a concrete highway barrier. One of my teammates died and three others were injured. I was left paralyzed from the chest down.

I had just started going to college and only had a taste of the independence I had wanted for so long. Suddenly, I was more dependent than ever on the people around me.

That was 21 years ago. I still rely on a wheelchair and have lost most of my manual functions and fine motor skills. I feel fortunate every day to have access to reliable and quality home health care. Thanks to my team of caregivers, I can now live the life I imagined before my accident.

I am married. I have a son. I have a house and two dogs. I am able to work full time, provide health insurance for my family, and plan for my future by contributing to a 401 (k). I was also able to buy a van that I can drive from my wheelchair. I am able to be the mom that I always wanted to be for my 8 year old son.

Every morning, a home help helps me get out of bed, take a shower, go to the bathroom and get dressed. She then helps me get into my wheelchair for the day. My caregiver also helps with laundry, dishes and light cleaning. If I have appointments that require me to get up from my chair, she accompanies me. At the end of each day, I need help getting to bed and getting comfortable for the night. All of this represents many hours of care each day. There is no doubt that without this help I would find myself without a job and in an establishment.

Maine has a significant shortage of caregivers, so people with disabilities and the elderly often find that they cannot access the care they need. In addition, the industry is underfunded and understaffed. The Biden administration’s U.S. employment plan would invest $ 400 billion in the care industry to increase wages, benefits and training for home care workers.

It would also ensure that every caregiver has the right to choose to join a union to have a say in their profession. This week, Biden met again with Senator Shelley Moore Capito and other Republican leaders, who refuse to support a bill that funds the care economy. They claim that this deviates from what they consider to be “traditional” infrastructure.

However, caregivers are a base for this country. When home care workers have economic stability, so do people with disabilities. Without my caregivers, I would face financial devastation and would have to sell my fully wheelchair accessible home. And I would emphasize every relationship in my life relying on my loved ones for day-to-day care and support – even though at the same time, my needs would never be fully met.

I am able to employ caregivers who I know can meet my needs in my home. I have always enjoyed their company and had a great relationship with them.

I urge Senators Angus King and Susan Collins to listen to people with disabilities like me who support this plan. We are the best experts on what we need to be productive citizens in our communities, families and workplaces. Investing in the caregiving industry prevents those of us in the disability community from having to give up our independence. The American Jobs Plan will invest in the care Mainers need right now.

Because of access to skilled and competent home care, a woman who decades ago lost the use of half of her body can drive her child to football training. Even when lives are turned upside down, like mine after my accident all these years ago, home helpers help make what seems impossible possible.

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