I feel for the woman’s predicament and honor her response. But to be honest, I am curious about the judgment of how folks respond to something they have never had to really consider might have happen to a friend. They responded with “sorry”, and that was not what the writer needed. Well, OK, fair enough, but it seems like a lot to ask for a spot on response to something no one is prepared to consider. Could these interactions not be more of an exchange? How did the author respond to “sorry”? Did she use it as an opportunity to guide her friends into her headspace? The author has the opportunity to prepare herself for her friends’ reactions, and so I’d hope that there is a meaningful exchange to get her the type of attention and empathy she is wanting, and a best outcome for all involved.
I'm not sure I would call the headline clickbait, but the author's left arm is paralyzed from the elbow down. Not to trivialize the situation, but I have heard of people wanting to amputate their fully functioning limbs which raises all kinds of really interesting bioethical questions. I'd say this case is more straight forward from that perspective but I still could not imagine how difficult it would be to make the decision.
Also, I have to say that none of the responses from those she told about her decision to have the amputation sat well with me, including the stranger on the Zoom call. I get that immediate validation might feel better than some of the more awkward reactions, but having such an automatically positive response seemed to undercut the gravity of the situation.
but I have heard of people wanting to amputate their fully functioning limbs
With what objective? Becoming a cyborg?
including the stranger on the Zoom call
The same here, I hope that first reaction was a synopsis rather than the full thing. It also depends so much on how the author explained this decision before getting this reaction.
Possibly a sign of a personal desire or need for more humorous reading material I mistakenly read the headline and imagined this would be satire or humor. 😏
Quite to the contrary Very Literal and Very Real. Interesting read.
The Halloween 2021 photo within immediately put this Incredible Video and Song on the frontal lobe player:
Chloe is a young, strong woman who is capable of making her own assessment concerning this issue. She obviously knows her body and overcame her own disability being a Paralympic swimmer. I can see where having a prosthesis would be more liberating. But cutting off an arm is daunting no matter how convinced one is of the decision. She will do a lot of good focusing on disability awareness and advocacy.
The title sounds dreadful, but the results will be positive. Instead of a dead, heavy, useless arm she’ll have a prosthesis that can be closer to a normal arm. One that can hold a cup of ice cream. She is excited about the results and that is what is important.
I feel for the woman’s predicament and honor her response. But to be honest, I am curious about the judgment of how folks respond to something they have never had to really consider might have happen to a friend. They responded with “sorry”, and that was not what the writer needed. Well, OK, fair enough, but it seems like a lot to ask for a spot on response to something no one is prepared to consider. Could these interactions not be more of an exchange? How did the author respond to “sorry”? Did she use it as an opportunity to guide her friends into her headspace? The author has the opportunity to prepare herself for her friends’ reactions, and so I’d hope that there is a meaningful exchange to get her the type of attention and empathy she is wanting, and a best outcome for all involved.
Great comment!
Justin, I’m impressed with your response. I couldn’t get past trying to imagine having my arm cut off, particularly as that was preferable.
I'm not sure I would call the headline clickbait, but the author's left arm is paralyzed from the elbow down. Not to trivialize the situation, but I have heard of people wanting to amputate their fully functioning limbs which raises all kinds of really interesting bioethical questions. I'd say this case is more straight forward from that perspective but I still could not imagine how difficult it would be to make the decision.
Also, I have to say that none of the responses from those she told about her decision to have the amputation sat well with me, including the stranger on the Zoom call. I get that immediate validation might feel better than some of the more awkward reactions, but having such an automatically positive response seemed to undercut the gravity of the situation.
With what objective? Becoming a cyborg?
The same here, I hope that first reaction was a synopsis rather than the full thing. It also depends so much on how the author explained this decision before getting this reaction.
Possibly a sign of a personal desire or need for more humorous reading material I mistakenly read the headline and imagined this would be satire or humor. 😏
Quite to the contrary Very Literal and Very Real. Interesting read.
The Halloween 2021 photo within immediately put this Incredible Video and Song on the frontal lobe player:
https://youtu.be/HHKd2PcwBAM
Chloe is a young, strong woman who is capable of making her own assessment concerning this issue. She obviously knows her body and overcame her own disability being a Paralympic swimmer. I can see where having a prosthesis would be more liberating. But cutting off an arm is daunting no matter how convinced one is of the decision. She will do a lot of good focusing on disability awareness and advocacy.
The title sounds dreadful, but the results will be positive. Instead of a dead, heavy, useless arm she’ll have a prosthesis that can be closer to a normal arm. One that can hold a cup of ice cream. She is excited about the results and that is what is important.