Holiday Spending

So I entitled this blog post "New Year’s Spending," but it doesn’t mean exactly what you’re thinking…what I mean by that is, "Who are you spending your last moments of the current year with?" Many of my friends and family members are either married or in serious relationships. But I’m currently single, and something that I’ve been struggling with when it comes to these times of the year is "Who wants to be married or in a relationship with a quadriplegic person who may or may not be abled-bodied again?" Now, I do not try writing this post to make y’all (the readers) feel sorry for me or anything like that, but that’s how I honestly feel. I’ve prayed and prayed and prayed for this and one day, it’s going to happen, but I have to keep my faith going and trust in God’s timing. And just like when God made Eve from the rib of Adam, I pray that my future partner would be part of me and that she would first and foremost have a heart full of love for Christ Jesus and put him before everything and anything else! I’ve been praying for a partner who has the same interests as I do in sports and movies! I’m not being picky because whoever he puts in my life, I’m going to be forever grateful and happy! But something that worries me is that whoever she is going to see the wheelchair more than anything and not my personality. I don’t believe that’ll be the case, but sometimes that goes through my head.

Here are some statistics about marriage and people with spinal cord injuries:

• Marriage rates: 44.9% of people with spinal cord injuries are single at the time of their injury, 37.3% are married, and 8.6% are divorced. Over time, the likelihood of marriage increases, with 45.5% of people with spinal cord injuries who have been injured for 40 years or more being married. 
• Divorce rates: The divorce rate for people who get married after a spinal cord injury is 24.4%. For people who were married before their injury and remarry after, the divorce rate is 16.4%. 
• Factors that delay divorce: Factors that can delay divorce after a spinal cord injury include:
  • Age at injury 
  • Race 
  • Education level 
  • Employment status 
  • Social integration 
  • Self-rated health 
• Factors that predict marriage longevity: Factors that can predict marriage longevity after a spinal cord injury include:
  • Being in good health 
  • Being involved in social life 
  • Having meaningful social opportunities 

People with disabilities, including women, may face more obstacles in finding a partner than people who are healthy.