Straight Talk: I Love Today
I had abdominal spasms that were so intense I was ready to call 911. However, just as quickly, they subsided. Thinking it was a bad urinary tract infection, I self-medicated, trying to continue on with my day and ignore the symptoms as best I could. Eventually, things got bad enough that I called my wife Susan and asked her to come home early to help me. I then slept for a while, waking up long enough to eat a little dinner before going straight back to bed. Throughout the night, the nausea intensified, and by early Saturday morning, I was throwing up repeatedly.
“We’re taking you to the emergency room,” Susan declared. Good thing since a CAT scan revealed that my appendix had ruptured and that my body was growing more septic by the minute. My spinal-cord injury made it impossible for me to feel the intense pain that usually signals appendicitis. I spent the next three hours in emergency surgery. I would not recommend it as a way of celebrating Valentine’s Day.
During my recovery I had some time to reflect on my life and work in the disability rights movement. I realized the restlessness I’d been feeling had been fueled by doubt. I was not feeling very grounded and wondered whether I should keep doing what I was doing or should I be doing something else? I believe this experience was God’s way of confirming the work I’d been doing, while also saying that now was the time for me to tell my story.
After leaving the hospital, I called Kristen Vincent and shared a box containing letters and cards I’d received since my illness. The box also contained the February 23, 2009 issue of Time magazine titled “Mind and Body Special Issue: How Faith Can Heal;” the Spring 2009 issue of Spinal Column, a publication of the Shepherd Center, in which James Shepherd wrote, “Your faith can become the ultimate source of hope and strength;” and a copy of the February 2009 The Daily Word. I asked Kristen to help me write my book. In April of 2015, it was published.
Part spiritual memoir, I Love Today: A Story of Transformation is my reflection on my life as a son, husband and father; as a person with a disability; as a community organizer; and as a child of God. It examines the fears behind our social attitudes and offers insights for a more inclusive world. Along the way, it inspires us all to learn to love today.
For more information on I Love Today: A Story of Transformation by Mark Johnson, visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/232739460/i-love-today-a-story-of-transformation
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