Precerpt from Raising God's Rainbow Makers: Noelle’s Amputations - A Masterclass in Pragmatism
In her lifetime, Noelle has had two amputations—each one a study in her extraordinary, almost disarming practicality. The first happened because of what can only be described as a silly accident. Somehow, she managed to catch her toe in the spokes of her wheelchair. Why she was barefoot, I still cannot tell you. She shouldn’t have been; she’s supposed to protect her feet precisely because she can’t feel them. In fact, she has no sensation below the waist. So when her toe got caught, she simply kept rolling. The toe tore mostly off, and the only thing that alerted her was the trail of blood she noticed on the floor as she moved. Off to surgery she went. Off with the toe. No drama. Noelle is a pragmatist to her core. A toe she couldn’t feel meant nothing to her. The well‑meaning doctor, unfamiliar with the matter‑of‑factness that often accompanies life as a paraplegic, tried to offer empathy during the post‑op conversation. Gently, she asked Noelle whether she was “missing” her...