Blogging About My Progress

In my last post, I talked about having a computer in my rehab centre. That's certainly not the only way my sister and brother-in-law contributed to my recovery. Shortly after my accident, my sister set up a blog to update family and friends on my recovery. It's called, Mike 'Happy' Wilkinson's Progress Reports. Happy was my nickname during high school (mainly on account of my regular use of my rather large smile!).

In my post about my computer, I mentioned how many of my friends had already moved, or were in the process of leaving, from my home country, New Zealand, to live in other places. As well as my own friends, my parents had a very large group of people who wanted to be kept up to date with my progress. The blog became a way for my family to keep everyone up to speed, whilst not having to cope with endless numbers of toll calls on the phone.

I definitely was in no condition to blog myself early on and the blog was maintained by my family. Eventually, I recovered enough to add my own thoughts and did so starting with my first post in May 2005. I continued posting until my discharge from rehabilitation about seven months after my accident.

One person reading the blog had no effect on anyone else doing the same. Also the blog had a very unusual topic, and so it became extremely widely read by many. That raises the somewhat important issue of confidentiality, but I have been and, with this blog, still am careful not to give away any information that might be financially profitable to the unscrupulous.

After I'd recovered enough, the blog was a very useful way for finding out what happened while I was still in a coma. Even now, the blog continues to be a way to help me recall a difficult, emotionally trying time in my life. I guess, when she set it up, my sister never realised the factor the blog might become in my recovery, but I am now very pleased she did so.

Cheers,
Mike