PARALIZED-BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH

09.21.75 2 0'clock 

                               Intensive care:
 

      Specialist-examination on Olafur Thor Eiriksson, Haholt 5, Keflavík.--Patient no. 535-457.
     

      Examination:  Pat. is comatou (unconscious), no signs of injury over neuracranium, X-ray of cranium (head) - fract (unbroken). 

      Patient has a broken jaw. 

      The pupils are both quite narrow, but there is some skew-deviation  Pat. is decorticate bilat.

DREAMING IN A COMA ???

  I open my eyes.   
  The ceiling´s in a haze.
  Run my eyes around.   
  I'm in a white room.
  Where am I ?
  Hospital?
  Heaven?
  I'm so weak?
  What´s the matter with me?
  Maybe it´s my appendix?
 
  Hovering above myself, looking down.
  Naked on a bench, so awfully thin.

 THERE IS H0PE

10.2.75: 

              Doctors of Surgeon and Neuro-devision of Intensive care:
              The Thorax- drain was removed yesterday, as the lung seems to be okay.
There is no change otherwise.
         Ó.Ó.J./bk.

10.07.75: 

                There has not been much change these last days, but now he seems to be awakening a little, at least seems to understand at times what is said. 

 He is quite spastic mostly on his left side.

OUT OF COMA

 

      I can feel the warm touch on my left hand and I open my eyes.

      -Mamma, I shout in astonishment. What am I doing here?

       She doesn´t seem to hear me, where...

You can buy the whole story at www.unibook.com

BORGARSPITALINN

        (city's hospital)

Surgeon-ward 435-457
 

Patient:   Olafur Thor Eiriksson
 Age:        b.06.19.' 55
Position:   Student
Parents:   Eirikur Gunnar Olafsson and Hrafnhildur

                  Gunnarsdottir
Address:   Haholt 5, Keflavik
Arrival:    09.21.' 75

FAREWELL TO SHYNESS    

 

One day lying in bed at Grensas, listening to music suddenly I remembered that my shyness had really bothered me as a youngster!  

 Ye, I was terrified of the other sex. 

 

 So much even that I couldn't chat normally with girls about my feelings, except when intoxicated with alcohol. 

 

RETURNING TO NORMAL SOCIETY

       From the Borgarspitali's checkout-report:

       WALKING and TREATMENT:  Here the pat. gets physio- and performance therapy, gets movement-and strengthening-exercises and in addition to this he gets balancing-exercises, because of obvious ataxia. 

      The pat. gained much strenght and was able to walk without a cain the last month of his treatment, but walked with feet very wide apart. 

I'm HOME

 

         FEBRUARY 9th 1976 I leave Grensas, the Rehabilitation Ward of the Borgarspitali for the last time hopefully as a patient. 

 

         The only facility for rehabilitation in my home-town was then only the one that you created yourself or at a small station that two women owned and ran down on Tungata.  For a few times I went there for training.

         They say that walking is really good for you and therefore they recommended outdoor walking so as to strenghten my body and soul. 

 

THE SWIMMING POOL

      When I rehabilitated at Grensas there was no swimming pool in the building, despite the common knowledge that swimming is very good for the human body.

      Never the less the patients in rehabilitation got a chance to get acquainted with the wonders of water once a week in a tiny indoor-pool at Hatun in Reykjavik. 

       Because of the floating-characteristics all movements become so admirably easy and light in water that it makes wonders. 

IMPEDIMENT TEACHER

 l
      The principal of the primary school in Keflavik that year was a real noble and gentle man. 

 Once he made a phone call to my home and asked for me;
off course he knew about my accident as half of the villagers, and he was also aware of that I'd finished junior college.
 

      -Hello namesake!  Olafur principal of Barno (the childrens´school) on this end.

The Communionology-Lesson

            l
        For a couple of minutes we just stare open-mouthed with expectation;

 I on them and they on me in a peculiar, but wonderful silence.

        Suddenly peace is broken. 

 Profession Selected

       -Wake up, namesake! 

 I wake up from my thoughts, feeling the gentle touch on my shoulder, looking up with groggy eyes seeing the principal standing over me with a smiling face.

  At the same time I take a glance around and notice that we are alone in the room which was crowded just a minute ago.

        Soon I remember what I wanted to ask the master.

BODYTRAINING

       With the becoming of spring the weather got better and better thus making it more difficult to stay indoors feeling so alone and deserted;

 all inmates gone out, either to work or to school. 

 Including my fianceé, Olof Anna Gudjonsdottir a legimate medic, who was working in a fish factory for the first time in her life, because yet she hadn't found a job as a medic. 

THE TEACHERS' TRAINING COLLEGE

                            l
      In september 1976, nearly a year after the horrible accident at Svinavatn in Grimsnes and six months from rehabilitating at Grensas I had returned to the Icelandic capital. 

 The next three winters I studied at the Teachers´ Traning College thus abiding the promise I'd given myself and future pupils.
 

      Asa, my mother's sister, a real kind woman and Baldvin, her husband promised me a place of residence in the cellar of their house which has three floors, as long as I had to stay in Reykjavik.

  EXAMINATIONS

 

    Most school-books, e.g. in psychology, peda-gogy or didactics (the art of teaching) were big books in foreign languages;

 either in English or Danish. 

  I didn´t have much trouble when reading the former, because I used to watch the American television that was transmitted on the NATO naval base in Keflavik in the sixties, which Icelanders in the vicinity were able to watch. 

ELECTIC SUBJECTS

 

  On the spring-semester of the first year we had to elect the two subjects, that we would like to emphasize on, for example if we were given the chance to choose subjects to teach, primarily in the older classes of the Elementary school. 

 

     Of course my first elect was ENGLISH ,but I had more difficulty when electing the second subject. 

 

        In my opinion the subject would be either MATHE-MATICS or HISTORY/SOCIOLOGY.

TEACHER-TRAINING

 

       During the spring-semester of my first year in college I had my first training as a teacher. 

 

 I didn't worry for it, because I had already experienced standing before pupils as a teacher in Keflavik of happy memory.

       The school had been picked for me, and that school was one of the best in the country;

ATHLETIC PARTICIPATION 

     Throughout my youth all kinds of sports occupied much of my time.

  I was e.g. the goalkeeper of one of my town's youth-teams in soccer, or until I went away from home to study in the junior-college at Laugarvatn, a tiny village up in the country located in the south of Iceland. 

 There I carried on as a goalie in the school's team, when competing with teams from other continuation schools.

CRIMINAL CASE

 04.13.1978

The City's Hospital's emergency ward received a petition from the Sheriff in the county of Gullbringa located in Keflavik concerning a doctor's certificate about Olafur Thor Eiriksson ...

 THE JUDGEMENT

       Judgement fell in a criminal case, where I was ruled guilty for causing the death of two men, Sveinn and Eirikur and for reckless driving under the influence of alcohol.  The alcohol-quantity in my blood had measured 0,65 promill, or 0,02 above the permitted level. 

       I got a three months jail-sentence and driver's license privation for the rest of my life.
 

       I applied to the president of Iceland for pardon because of my circumstances, being in college and having a family. 

GRENSAS REVISITED

           l
       Once in my school-years in Kenno (Teachers' Training College) my parents travelled to Greece in their vacation.  There they met and became acquainted with an Icelandic couple from Selfoss. 

 As time went by it became apparent that these new friends had more in common than just the nationality.
     

       Conversing  they discovered that both owned sons that were victims of car-accidents and both of them had had similar injuries. 

VEHICLE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE

       During my first year in Kenno I and my fianceé used my first student-loan to buy our first car. 

 In our opinion the need was quite urgent;

we had a newborn child, a boy named Sveinn Sigurdur, still  sleeping in a cradle.

       What kind of a car might a poor student allow himself to purchase? 

CLOSE TO DEATH THE SECOND TIME 

                     l

      After having tried in vain maintaining good discipline among the pupils of some classes of twelve and thirteen year olds in a school in Keflavik in the winter of 1981-82, I gave up teaching;

primarily because my contract wasn't renewed, rather then on Hornafjordur. 

      Sometimes in the middle of my  latter teaching-winter I had the feeling I was going crazy;

CLOSE TO DEATH THE SECOND TIME

                       ll

       After I gave up teaching I got a job working for the American armed forces on Keflavik's Nato-Base.

  I applied for a job at an office, which I didn't get, but I was invited one at the Labor-Shop which is the laboring sector of the so-called Public Works- Institution on the Nato-Base, where there are only Icelanders who work in miscellanous departments, e.g. heavy equipment and garbage disposal, plumbers, pest-controllers, engineers, clerks and somebody else.  

CLOSE TO DEATH THE SECOND TIME

                      lll

       The only job I was able to get at the time I became unemployed was at a fish-factory called Heimir ltd. in my hometown of Keflavik. 

 I wasn't feeling too happy when I  applied for a job there. 

  My mind shuddered thinking about the time when I was working at a fish-factory called Brynjolfur ltd. in Njardvik after having tried my skills as a teacher at Hornafjordur. 

 CLOSE TO DEATH THE SECOND TIME 

                     lV

        At Heimir the process was devided between deep-freeze;

 fillets and block, saltfish- and stockfish devisions. 

 The devision of work was quite evident, but as a laborer I never knew what I was supposed to do when I came to work each morning.

CLOSE TO DEATH THE SECOND TIME

                       V

       It happened on a Sunday;

 a long desired day for resting after a six days work-week during the winter fishing season. 

 I was lying in our old sofa in the livingroom in our four room appartment, trying to figure out which possibilities I had of getting another job.

CLOSE TO DEATH THE SECOND TIME

                    Vl

       Once when I arrived at work I got a proposal, which I couldn't possibly reject. 

 We were still the owners of the Trabant, seven years after we purchased it shining new from the box and it had been like a faithful friend most of that period.

  But as I had mentioned in work, we were speculating the possibility of buying a new car for us, the manager approached me with an expendant face.

CLOSE TO DEATH THE SECOND TIME

                   Vll

      The effect of my writings in our local paper wasn't obvious, that is I didn't get promoted to another job, but I got a lot of  compliment from people I met as time went by. 

  Unwilling I had to keep on working at Heimir in the nation's most important branch of industry. 

 I had become sure that my Mayday-call had gone into one ear and out the other on the people that really mattered.

CLOSE TO DEATH THE SECOND TIME

                         Vlll

       At long last I was having my first summervacation while employed at Heimir ltd.  in the succession of working steadily for a year and a half, eventhough I didn't afford to take a wageless leave. 

 The vacation-money which I'd received in May was long since gone. 

 But for the lack of money I decided after a four day leave to return to work on Friday the 30. of June 1984.

LIFE ALTERATIONS

       Despite the fact that I was lying distressed in our doublebed, thus being unfit for any legitimate job I still had that urging need for letting my light shine brigthly for anyone to see. 

 I changed the emphasis a bit having had my wish granted, that of getting a chance to quit working in the outwearing job at the fish-factory.

  In my first article, as the new O.Th.E. I covered abortions, which I dislike very much with the heading: 

MORE ALTERATIONS IN MY LIFE

       Early in November 1985 Arsæll Magnusson (Saeli) an owner/manager of Keflavik's only concrete-mixing plant and a relative of mine gave me a phone call.  

  He, who has himself been paralyzed since early childhood asked whether I'd be ready to participate in a conference covering employment of the disabled people on behalf of the companionship of the disabled persons in our district; Sjalfsbjorg (Self-Perservation) on Sudurnes. 

 I welcomed my kinsman's request and agreed to attend.

JOB-SEEKING DEPUTY FOR               

          THE HANDICAPPED ON SUÐURNES

 

     During the spring of 1986, I applied for a job that was an innovation in the country;

 

 finding jobs and distributing them to disabled people, a position that had been publicized as being vacant, in spite of my earlier rotten luck when applying before. 

 

 In my total despair I had applied for all kinds of office-jobs;

 some that I had perhaps a reasonable chance of getting, e.g. on the Naval base and others like the position of the director of a poor law district in Gardur, a small village near Keflavik, which perhaps wasn't so very unpractical considering who received this respectable job.

  WHAT IS MY RIGHT?

 

      After my forklift-accident in Heimir ltd. as mentioned before our financial matters became worse every week, for we had very limited income. 

 There wasn't any light in the dark until about three years later. 

 Then my fianceé hears about a carpenter living in the village of Selfoss  who had received compensation in money, because his collar-bone was fractured in a work-accident.  She is also told that he had contacted an insurance-mediator who had used his special knowledge to assist him.

  THE VALUATION 

                              I

      I had turned up for a valuation of my dissability at Domus Medica in Reykjavík. 

 The doctor was an old, grey-haired, kind looking man. 

 In a fatherly manner he asks: 

        -And what is your problem young man?

HOW I BID FAREWELL TO SHYNESS

      Once when I was still at Grensas alone in my private-room I decided to bid farewell to my awful shyness that had been a burden on my innocent soul for as long as I could remember. 

 That decision has really changed my life for the better I'd like to think, even though many people don't, mainly rela-tives thinking they were being nice to me, when they were trying to hiss me down when I was blathering some nonsense. 

WORKING FOR THE DISABLED

      Most of the time when I was seeking jobs for the disabled I was formally an employee of The Association of Communities in Suðurnes, but actually The District's Management of the Affairs of the Disabled in Reykjanes stationed in Kopavogur was my magistrate and guide. 

      On the first of January 1990 I formally became an employee of the latter according to new laws from Althingi.  Before they changed the formal employment I had now and then been summoned to the Head office for chat and planning, but most of the time I had to stand all alone behind all my actions and therefore I had to be very independent.

  The CONTAINER GATHERING

     In November of '88 a man visited my office at Hafnargata 80, a cripple who had the name Halfdan Ingi Jensen, living in Njardvik, with a new-fangled
idea in his mind. 

 He, himself being unemployed had gotten the idea, that disabled people might get several jobs gathering empty soda-cans and other kinds, and to emphasize what he was proposing, he showed me a news article where an expected bill of law was discussed concerning an extra fee on dis-posable drinking-containers. 

     When I'd lighten my bulb of understanding I
told him that if we wanted the idea to come true we'd have to get companies like Throskahjálp (retarded aid) and S.S.S. to co-operate with us.

THE CREATION OF LEGENDS!

      At a period I happened to be very occupied. 

 In the morning I used to sit alert by the telephone in the Job-seeking office, but after I had eaten my
lunch I plait together with the seeking of jobs for the cripples, working for the Employment Development Company; raised members and collected
membership fees.

  For its inheritor E.D.C. ltd. I collected share-holders, besides that I collected bills for the restaurant Glodin (the red-hot embers), two dentists, and the furnishing-store Utskalar.  For a while I went from door-to-door selling books in homes and firms and I did also collect announcements from supporters of various enterprices and advertisment in newspapers.  Twice each year I sold lottery-tickets on the other hand for Blindrafelagid (the association of blind people) and on the other hand Sjalfsbjorg (self-salvation). 

DISABLEMENT'S CONSEQUENCES?

       Until just recently faith wasn't on my side while driving my car, after I got my liscence back.

  I was bungling my car into other cars and happened to
be causing the crashes all the time.

  Luckily there weren't any casualties in any of the mishaps that I caused. 

BEEN DRINKING, CHUM?

      What has been my most disability since the occurrance of the terrible accident back in 1975? 

 I must state that it's been my terribly drawling voice. 

 When I'd forgotten to steer my voice   in the right manner and thus making me able to speak gently and clearly, my speech has been quite nebulous and drawling, making me sound like a dead drunk man, which is miles from the reality, because I don't drink any alcohol. 

THE APPLICATION

 

       In December of '89 I attended a meeting in Kópavogur, where among other topics were the intended alterations on the activities of the Regional Office of the Affairs of the Handicapped according to new laws about the movement of various institutions, like the job-search from communities to
state. 

     In a coffee-break that we the job-searchers had The Council of Europe came into our conversation.

MY ADVENTURES IN LONDON

    I mailed my application to the headquarters of The Council of Europe located in Strassborg, France and thus the waiting began for an answer.

  When almost a year had passed I had more or less given up all hopes for a study-visit in another country and stopped thinking about it.

   On the tenth of Desember 1991 the hope was awakened anew when I got a neat looking letter from The Council's headquarters wherein I got the information that they were sorry that because of the great number of appliances from people that wished to visit either Holland or Britain I had to name other countries that I would be willing to visit, if I couldn't go to either of these two. 

VACANT HOURS IN LONDON CITY

     An agenda organized by my hosts usually lasted until noon when they invited me to lunch on one of the vast number of pubs that can be enjoyed in this great city.

  Over a ham and cheese sandwich which we swallowed down with a pint of cold and bubbling beer, either light or dark we discussed the happenings on the morning's study-visit and how I liked their way of handling things.

 I tried the true pub-living, where the guests are exceptionally gay and merry.

THE ABDICATION

        Shortly after my well accomplished trip to London I received an abdication-letter from the Regional Office of the Affairs of the Handicapped, in which they reminded me on the fact that my employment period had been limited from January 1 1990 till December 31 1991.

  The given reasons were alterations on the organization in the wake of a decision to start a reserved work-place or a competence-place for the handicapped on the Sudurnes, giving the result that my job as a Job-Seeker would be laid down.

 INTERMEDIATE CONDITION

      A month after I'd told just about everybody that I was unemployed, in the local newspaper Vikur-frettir, which has quite a general reading, I had begun working part-time in a used auto-part sale owned by Birgir Gudnason, Partasala BG, which is located close to my home.

      The Sale is by Flugvallarvegur (Airport's Road) in two large barracks, which the US Armed Forces had built during World War ll.

   Between the war and until BG bought the barracks from the township which had received them as a present from the USA and had used the lodgings as an equipment store-room.

DREAM COME TRUE?

     In August my employer informed me that the trial on whether there was a need for a third person, who's only job was the paper-work in the Partasala was over.

   In his opinion it was clear that the turnover;

  the number of customers versus the amount of money that they paid for the auto parts wasn't just enough to hold a staff of three.

   Thus I had to take my sack and say good-bye.

THE COMMISSION SALE

                 Gamalt & gott

     On the opening day I had already put a few things into the 90 square meter hall, just so it wouldn't be too empty-looking.

 I had contacted the people that had answered my request in the Vikur-frettir in the spring.

 Because I didn't have any window on the ground floor like most other normal stores, I wrote on big sheets of paper what was on sale and put up in all three windows, just so that everybody could be able to observe it from the mainstreet. 

 SURRENDERING?

      All the time since I had had my severe accident in the middle of the Seventies I had had the dream of finding some permanent job, which gave me enough income to support me and my family.

 My dream of becoming a teacher didn't come true, despite my education in the Teachers' Training College.

 I was quite risky, to say the least for myself and others, as a laborer, both because of my absentmindedness and disequilibrium.

EPILOGUE

      My intention by writing and publishing my story is primarily that of finding me some work to keep me occupied doing something I know I can do inspite of the disability others tell me I have.

 Despite the fact that I myself don't think of me as being different in any way from normal people. 

  In my opinion the circumstances forced me to have me valued as being a 75 % handicap, that is to say not capable for any job.

I have got a colorful past that has been marked with two serious accidents and their consiquences, but in the wake of the former I was completely paralized below my neck,dumb, without any memory, a hole through a lung and many broken bones.

 

My struggle has mostly been about finding a job appropriate for me as a cripple.