I AM A UNIQUELY ABLED PHOTOGRAPHER-FILMMAKER, WHO AFTER BECOMING DISABLED, began advocating for people in PAIN who have fallen between the cracks! LIKE ME, who as of today found I am getting evicted! I am UNIQUELY ABLED! NOT "DIS" ANYTHING! JUST ASK ME! ASK ME HOW TO LIVE WITH PAIN!

MY NAME IS TAL AND I AM UNIQUELY ABLED!!!

IT IS AMAZING THAT IN 10 SECONDS YOU CAN LOSE YOUR CAREER, HEALTH, and IDENTITY AND BECOME A DISABLED MAN WHO FEELS HELPLESS AND DEPENDENT. It was 10:30 in the morning and I was flying back from San Francisco after my films premier. Being an accomplished photographer and film maker, I was at height of my career. I was to film a promo for "Key West City of Colors", a project I had been working on for some time. The set was wet with recent rain and I was on a balcony setting up a shot. Suddenly I slipped and was staring up at the receding building as I fell two stories. Falling head first, I hit a motor bike, causing me to flip. I landed feet first, with my bones protruding from my leg, shattering every bone in my left leg and injuring my head, requiring 30 staples done with no pain killer and my hip broken, shattered and dislocated. I slowly regained consciousness, and knew by some miracle not to move my head as it was pressed against the pavement. The strange thing was that my cell phone was still in my hand and was still working. No one was aware of the fall. With every ounce of strength my shattered body could muster I hit redial on my phone and prayed, but an angel found me first, a stranger that to this day I have never laid eyes on again. He took control, told me to breathe so I would not go into shock and he told me I would be okay, I was protected. I have never found this person again, and no one seems to know him, or saw him that day. With him talking, the first conscious thought I had was "Okay God, bring it on!" I knew I had to fight, and that this moment was only the beginning. So after 8 months in traction, infection after infection, my leg and body would not heal, I was placed in a metal halo that weighed 30 pounds with pins that were drilled through my leg and bones and wore that for another six months. I was in a bitter war with my body and fate. And the pain was unbearable, but I just stared at the ceiling as I could only lie in one position. I felt that all my creativity was drained from my soul that day, as I bled on pavement. I knew I had to be aggressive and steadfast during my recovery and have faith that I would be led upon the right path. So I became my own advocate, searching every treatment, hospital, experimental treatment, etc. One day I received a call from someone I had never met, he explained that even through I did not know him, he could help me, he knew a doctor who only took desperate cases and would stick with me until I could get the surgery. I never met him, and still do this day do not know what happened to him, we talked everyday, he was a welcomed and selfless spirit. I had the surgery, and this miracle Doctor rebuilt my leg completed with metal and a sprocket in my ankle. Enabling me to begin a long road to recovery, and to today.

The path to date has led me through 14 surgeries, a year of chemo due to a form of cancer in my bone marrow, countless rehab centers, the loss of my home, regular income and deeply in debt from medical expenses and felt so less than and degraded. But! I was not going to give in, NOR WAS I was to be dependent on anyone, my faith, friends, and shear will have brought me to this day, but not without its prices. My life is still plagued by excruciating chronic pain, which is a daily reminder of what I have suffered and what I used to be, or thought I was, and then there are the scars, which I call my badges of courage. I have come to acknowledge that although I have almost no use of my legs, my talent, faith, and ability to help others have not been affected, despite the havoc wrought on my life. I have watched others like myself, fall into the dark void of despair and hopelessness into addiction, suicide and eternal wandering on the streets. I vowed not to become one of those people who fall between the cracks because they did not have the knowledge or resources to find their way. Recently I was implanted with a new experimental medical device which is remote controlled and reads my body, it adjust what little nerves I have left and sends signals to my brain to help me move and decrease the pain. It has helped a great deal. But, the cost of these medical surgeries and continued care, and a future of more serious surgeries that will help me maintain some quality of life, have created a tremendous financial strain, and has resulted in my losing or selling the tools I needed to have an income and fulfill my passion and creativity.

BUT I FOUND OUT OVER THIS MONTH AND TODAY: I NOW HAVE BECOME ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FALLEN BETWEEN THE CRACKS! BEING TURNED DOWN FOR A LOAN THAT IS MEANT FOR THE DISABLED AND NOW BEING EVICTED FROM MY HOME!

I have found out the hard way that the agencies that claim to be there for you usually are not, I found out the hard way, I have been degraded, talked down to and made to feel less than, BUT, I am going to recapture my passion of photography/film and web design, and i am going to help others who are like myself and live with incredible pain. I will somehow build an accessible studio, complete with adapted cameras, photo equipment and computers that have video editing ability, and are adapted for my disability.

In rebuilding my studio and taking back my passion my emphasis will be focused on the Disabled/chronic pain sufferers, who are all unique. Offering them the opportunity to build and/or expand their business through e-commerce sites, thus becoming self employed and empowered, returning their dignity. (This is a word I did not know for quite some time). I am putting a face on the disabled, not those who use the system but those who want to contribute, help others and re-invent themselves. We will no longer be alone and/or hide. With a web series, documentary, and blog, I and others can help those that can't make it out of the dark!

I still have more surgeries to come, and FACE EVERYDAY USING EVERY BIT OF ENERGY I CAN MUSTER TO PUSH OUT ALL NEGATIVITY! LIKE TODAY FINDING OUT I AM BEING EVICTED FROM MY HOME, AND THEN GOT TURNED DOWN FOR LOAN TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE DISABLED. GO FIGURE? BUT BY HELPING OTHERS I HELP MYSELF, I KNOW THE DRILL, I AM NOT "DIS" ANYTHING!!! I MAY NOT CAN WALK AND MAY NOT BE ON THE RED CARPET BUT I will rebuild by career, SOMEHOW GET THE accessible studio, and the necessary equipment to attain my goal. I am sure you or someone you know has a disability or suffers from chronic pain. These people need a voice and I intend to give them one. We are not broken people, or useless; we are the UNIQUELY disabled. ASK ME HOW TO GET THROUGH A DAY WITH ALL OF THIS PAIN! ASK ME HOW TO NOT FEEL LESS THAN BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GO HIKING OR SIT AT A DINNER PARTY BECAUSE YOU ARE IN SO MUCH PAIN YOU COULD PUNCH SOMEONE! ASK ME HOW TO NOT BE JEALOUS OF OTHERS THAT CAN DO THE THINGS YOU USED TO DO BUT CANNOT DO!! ASK ME ANYTHING! BELIEVE ME, I KNOW ABOUT GETTING HIT WITH THE ARROWS EACH DAY AND FEELING LONELY! I KNOW THAT FEELING THAT NO ONE WILL LOVE ME BECAUSE I AM DISABLED OR IN SO MUCH PAIN I CANNOT SNUGGLE OR BE INTIMATE!! ASK ME WHAT IT FEELS LIKE AND HOW TO GET THROUGH LIVING WITH NO MONEY, NOT BEING ABLE TO WORK, LOOKING AT YOUR REFLECTION AND NOT RECOGNIZING THE PERSON LOOKING BACK.. I WAS THERE AND SOME DAYS I STILL AM.. BUT WE CAN MAKE IT!! NOT ALL OF THESE STORIES ON TV ABOUT PEOPLE OVERCOMING PAIN IS TRUE!!! YOU DON'T SEE THE REST OF THEIR DAY...JUST 60 SEC. I AM AN ADVOCATE, I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO GET HELP FROM THE AGENCIES THAT CLAIM TO HELP!! THAT IS WHY SO MANY GIVE UP! THEY MAKE GETTING BETTER HARDER! THAT IS WHAT KEEPS THEM IN A JOB! JUST ASK ME ABOUT GOING UP AGAINST THE BIG BOYS IN SERVICES FOR THE DISABLED!! THEY THINK WE ARE STUPID!!! HELLO? MANY OF US WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL AND WAY MORE INTELLIGENT THAN YOU! THEY DON'T LIKE US! WE KNOW THEIR GAME, BUT, THERE ARE THE FEW, AND I KNOW THEM WHO ARE ANGLES, THESE ARE THE ONES THAT PROP ME UP! That is why I am creating a studio for the UNIQUELY ABLED!!! SOME OF US DO NOT WANT TO SIT AT HOME ON THE SOFA EATING DING DONGS.....WE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT CHANGE THE WORLD...JUST ASK ME!!!!

UNIQUELY ABLED TALMADGE HEYWARD