Help James get his prosthetics.

Hello my name is James Mason. I was born in 1976. I have two younger sisters, Carrie and Mary Mason. Our parent’s passed away at a very young age. April 24 1992 our father James Robert Mason shot himself while cleaning a gun. No chance to even say goodbye. It was 8 days before my 16th birthday. Then our mother Hazel Louise Mason passed away September of 1997. The doctors performed a biopsy on her and found something. So the scheduled surgery. When they did the surgery air hit the cancer they closed her right back up quick. It was to late it spread. She never came home from the hospital. We were left with no parents, my youngest sister Mary was only 10 years old. We had no parents. We had nobody, but each other. I did my best to raise them. I got a job working as a laborer at a waterpark in California. Completely rebuilding the water park. After we were done with construction they moved me to pool technician. I worked for the waterpark for over a year, and on May 29, 1999 my life took a tragic turn. I had worked that morning from 6 AM to 2 PM. My boss said I can come back at 6pm for the JetSki event,which was located just outside the park to get extra hours. Mike Smith and myself got off and went home around 2pm. Mike lived right across the street from me. We arrived back at the waterpark at 5:50 pm It was really windy that afternoon. And the sun was shining bright, very hot. I think the temperature was around 102 degrees. Before I got to clock in, our boss asked us to go take down the $60,000 flag from the top of the hill. So we proceeded to do that, we walked up the mountain approximately 150 steps. to get up to the top of the hill we’re the flag was located. We folded it. The flag was so big it took six of us. Because it was so hot out my buddy said , let’s race to the bottom. I said yeah and I went up the next flight of stairs, and they went running down the stairs. Once I got to the top, I asked a friend Raymond if he’d turn the slide on for me. It was a speed slide aka body slide. Not the ones that go into a pool. But the one that gives you a wedgey to stop you. I went down the slide fast and when I flattened out at the bottom I was going around 35 miles an hour on my back, but didn’t stop. I hit the endcap bounced over onto the sidewalk and was paralyzed from the waist down instantly. They took me in a ambulance down a bumpy dirt road because the water park didn’t want the publicity. There I was flown in a helicopter. Flight for life. They flew me to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in California. Where they performed surgery on me. I woke up with a tube down my throat thinking the surgery was already over with. I started to moan because I couldn’t talk with a tube in my throat, and it hurt to swallow. They said stay still we’re prepping you for surgery. I was scared. Next thing I remember is waking up completely paralyzed? I was in such a depressed state of mind. So many thoughts running in my head. I worried who’s going to provide for my sisters. We have no parents Who’s going to raise them? Them will I ever be able to have kids of my own? Even thought when I get married will be able to walk my fiancé down the aisle. All these negative things were in my head. It hurt me to see my sisters hurt like that. Not only did they lose both parents but now their brother is paralyzed confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Just seeing them hurt like that destroyed me. Here I am the only person they have left to take care of them and now I’m in a wheelchair. And they now have to take care of me. My injury was a T-12 burst fracture. Incomplete paraplegic. They removed one of my ribs for the bone donor. Put titanium plats and screws from T-11 to L-1. Completely supporting T-12. They said I would never be able to Walk again. That’s when I gave it to God. Rehab taught me how to live a life as a paralyzed person. Such as how the use a catheter to urinate. Also how the use a suppository to go number 2. I learned how to dress myself. To a normal person this is all very easy until your paralyzed and have to adapt. It’s a whole different life. I did some rehab there. Then they transferred me to Loma Linda Regional Medical Center for more rehabilitation. There I learned how to strap on my back brace by myself , how to transfer from the bed into a wheelchair. From the wheelchair to a vehicle. How to do wheelies, up and down curbs. Ect..

I was there for about another month. They sent me home with my girlfriend Brandy. When we got back to our town. I was having painful urges to go pee. Well my girlfriend had left the bag of supplies at the rehab place. So I had no way of Cathing myself. I peed all over myself. I was so embarrassed. They helped me cleanup and layed me down, helped me take my back brace off. I fell asleep fast. The next day I was so depressed. Mad at the world. Pretty much just ready to throw the towel. My uncle Bill comes over and says get in your chair I got something for you. At first I didn’t want to get up. But he kinda made me. I strapped my back brace on got in my wheelchair. He pushed me outside. And there was a 3 wheel bicycle sitting there. I said what do you expect me to do with this? I said I can’t ride that. Did you forget I’m paralyzed? Being a smart butt. He said “yes you can”.

Now come on I’ll help you on to it. He helped lift me out of my wheelchair and set me on the bike. We quickly realized I had no trunk control. I couldn’t stay on the seat. He helped me off back in my wheelchair. I said see I told you I can’t do it. He said stay right there. I’ll be right back. He went and got a huge bicycle seat with springs. He put it on and helped me back on the bike. It actually worked. He then positioned my feet on each pedal just right. And pushed from behind very slow. Making my legs and feet do the motion. Even tho I wasn’t using them they still tightened and loosin. I got tired fast. Almost passing out. He helped me back into the chair then into my bed. I was sweating like crazy. He said I’ll be back tomorrow for more therapy. Before I knew it 3 maybe 4 months had past. I was getting painful twitches in my upper legs. So intense, sharp painful cramps. But I looked at it as positive pain. Because I could actually feel the pain. I finally had some hope. That maybe possibly one day I might be able to walk again.

I started to walk on a walker really short distances. Like 5 steps and I would almost pass out. My body wasn’t used to being upright. Eventually I was able to walk a little further kind of throwing my feet every step. Using mostly arms. On the 3 wheel bicycle I got stronger to where he would push me and let me go and I would peddle like two pedals, on my own strength. With just my upper legs. My feet didn’t work at all still. I got stronger and stronger. My upper legs started to come back. I got to where I could do it all by myself. Waking further and further using the walker. I then tried using a cane. I fell quit often. Because I have what they call drop foot. But I learned how to judge the distance from my foot and the ground. I would have to kinda toss them every step. But I did it. With in 2 months of waking my right heal got a sore. It was caused my my bone spur rubbing thru the heal. Because i waddled when I walked and always stayed flat footed. It got badly infected. They did surgery on my heal. Cut the infection out. A figure 8 up the side of my heel to the bottom. It was crazy to wake up and have raw burnt meat from them categorizing it. They said don’t walk on it anymore until it heals. I thought how can you tell me I’ll never ever walk again. And then I start. To walk again. And then tell me don’t walk. So I stayed off of it. It took 2 years to finally heal because of poor circulation. After that I started to walk again. It opened right back up within 2 months. I ended up getting osteomyelitis’s infection in the bone. They wanted to amputate it. I cried begging “please no”. I just learned how to walk again. They said if the antibiotics don’t work we will have to. They had a pick line dripping antibiotics on my heart. I ended up beating the infection. I fought this infection off and on for 19 out of 22 years. I tried to get a job for several years, but nobody would hire me because of my disability . When the pandemic hit this new thing called Instacart started. They hired me on, I adapted I would shop for people using the electric carts at King Soopers.Then deliver there groceries to the customer and get a payed . One day I was shopping at King Soopers In Pueblo Colorado. And these two ladies who worked for a company Retail Odyssey. Pam and Cheryl. Pam said come here. I said what’s up ladies ? She said they had seen me in king Soopers shopping every day and there’s no way your eating all that food, you’re way too skinny. I said no ladies I finally got a job after 22 years nobody would hire me. I’m finally able to provide for my family. They said how would you like to have a job working right out of your wheelchair. I started crying right then and there. Pam called her boss. Her name was Jenni, while the ladies were on the phone with her. I went to the back of the store and called my sister Mary. I was crying to her over the phone saying “hey sis these two lady’s offered me a job with this big corporation” I went back over to the ladies, they put me on the phone with Jenni. Jenni said you’re hired fill out the application you got yourself a job. I couldn’t believe it. Doing Instacart I was walking on my foot way too much and the infection was there still. These ladys saved my life. They hired me on with Retail Odyssey. I was doing Instacart and working part time at retail odyssey. I still had the infection on my right heal. One day during lunch I see a man walk in the restaurant with 2 prosthetic. I wouldn’t have never known he had prosthetics. If he didn’t have shorts on. I made the decision to have my foot amputated. I wanted a better quality of life. I was over this infection. I held on to my foot for long enough in hopes that maybe I’d get feeling back and beat this terrible infection. But it was time. I scheduled surgery. And the day before I was scheduled to be there I sat by myself and talked , cried and kissed my foot good bye. I thanked my foot for all the years we had together. It’s hard to let go of a body part that’s been with you for 45 years since birth. But I did. I missed only 3 days of work and the dr cleared me to return In my wheelchair. I returned with a lot Of kids staring and scared sometimes. Very noticeable. But I keep staying positive and outgoing. I make up for it with my charisma and friendliness. My attitude is the most positive you will ever witness and everyone I meet at King Soopers Says I’m an inspiration to them. Two months after my surgery I was named Associate of the 4th quarter from Sas. An article was written about me. I worked a lot of hours sometimes 121 hours in two weeks. They all love me. My boss Jenni said I’m the biggest blessing thats ever came into her life. If she only knew how much she saved mine. She believed in me when I wasn’t really believing in my self. She gave me a purpose again. Thank you Jenni I honestly can’t thank you enough. She even came to the hospital after I got out of surgery and visited for 3 hours. Brought me a balloon and a stuffed animal. Lol. My ultimate goel is to run a marathon and conquer the hill climb here in Colorado Springs Colorado with in 2 years. But the prosthetics I need is pretty expensive. I would need the regular waking prosthetic. Then a running prosthetic,to reach my end goals. The Drs told me back in 1999 When I first got injured that my life expectancy is 49. I’m 45 now.

I don’t see myself going anywhere,anytime soon.

My story has just begun. Please help me write my success story the way I know I can. Anything will help. Please find it in your heart to donate towards my prosthetics. And join me on this journey. Together we can rise up and witness greatness. Thank you all so much for reading my story. Sincerely James Mason