Last week’s article saw us sharing a traumatic event in the life of Kennick Wheeler. He’s a vibrant young man who was involved in a disastrous vehicular crash that would have left many individuals, especially a man, disheartened and bitter.
This week we will look at where he is in his life and how he is dealing with the trauma.
One could assume that KennicK’s family’s support is what has kept him going and while there is much truth in that, his resilience stems from deep within himself and his bubbly personality.
After learning he wouldn’t be able to walk for the rest of his life, Kennick was diagnosed with mild depression, although he didn’t consider himself depressed at all. He also was a little angry at himself for ignoring his intuition and not going straight home. For the next three months, Kennick’s home was at The University Hospital of the West Indies where he underwent lifesaving surgery. He was then sent to the Mona Rehabilitation Centre for therapy for the next seven months. This was the hardest time in his life and the experience tested his reserve and helped him discover his true strengths.
His childhood friend who was the driver of the car that crashed walked away with just a scratch. He came around in the early days but eventually stopped visiting.
Kennick’s immediate family which included his mom, brother, and sister were his constant support system and were there with him on his journey.
Before his release from rehab, he was sensitized as to what to expect in his new life. His life would pretty much be existing from a wheelchair and assisted with normal chores including maintaining personal hygiene. This has not been easy for this once able-bodied young man to accept; to be reduced to existing almost as a helpless baby. But he accepted his situation for what it was and admits he’s grateful to be alive.
His main support system outside of hospital visits was his mother, Khishi Wheeler, who has stuck by her son through the aftermath of the terrible 2019 accident. It has not been easy for all parties involved as he admits there have been conflicting situations and frustration and tears as everyone had to be adjusting to this new life and its demands. Thankfully, Wheeler had life insurance and that was a financial blessing and eased what could have been a more disastrous situation, were money not available.
The cost of having to move around, a personal physical therapist, medication and various tests to be done could have been too much for the family to survive.
These days, Kennick feels his purpose, cliched as it is, is to be an inspiration for even one individual. Amazingly, his days are just as busy as when he was an able-bodied man. Between maintaining himself through his clinic visits, he is constantly assisting everyone around him in very impactful ways. He can be depended on to assist with online applications to editing or developing resumes or other legal documents. He assists with baby sitting his two-month-old niece and nephew. Now that he has developed more independence via online platforms and his phone, Kennick is very active in seeking gainful employment. He’s also venturing into farming. His biggest goal and one that has been his main source of motivation is to be able to walk again and he has reached out to several entities to assist in the process. “I’m never giving up,” he says with a winning smile. “I just want someone to know that being in a wheelchair and given a negative sentence doesn’t define the rest of your life and what you can achieve. Use the resources around you or available to you to build on who you are. Life is there for living and living to the fullest no matter what your circumstances.”
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