A Nigerian man, Caleb Emmanuel has penned a heartbreaking post addressing people who started avoiding him after his spinal cord injury.
According to Caleb, before the injury, he was surrounded by many people who smiled at him and interacted with him.
However, after his illness, he noticed that many who were once close, began keeping their distance.
He shared that he is hurting not just from the injury, but from loneliness, feelings of abandonment, and deafening silence from those who once called him a friend.
He emphasized that a simple phone call, visit, message, or a few words of encouragement would mean the world to someone going through a difficult time.
“TO EVERYONE WHO STARTED AVOIDING ME AFTER MY SPINAL CORD INJURY. Life has a way of teaching us painful lessons about people. Before my spinal cord injury, many people were around me, smiling with me, talking with me, and calling me their friend. But after my injury, I began to notice that some people who once came close to me started keeping their distance,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
“Honestly, it hurts. Not just because of the injury itself, but because of the loneliness, the silence, and the feeling of being forgotten by people I never expected to lose.
I want you to understand something: I may be living with a spinal cord injury, but I am still the same human being I was before. I still have feelings, dreams, hopes, and ambitions. I still deserve love, friendship, respect, and happiness.
My injury may have changed my physical abilities, but it has not taken away my worth as a human being. I don’t need people to pity me; I need people who can see beyond my condition and treat me with kindness and dignity.
To those who have avoided me, I hold no hatred in my heart. Perhaps you don’t know what to say or how to relate to me anymore. But please remember that sometimes, a simple phone call, a visit, a message, or a few words of encouragement can mean the world to someone going through a difficult time.
Don’t wait until someone is gone before you show them love. Don’t abandon people simply because their lives have changed.
To everyone living with a spinal cord injury or any form of disability, please don’t allow the rejection of others to make you feel worthless. Your life still has meaning. Your dreams are still valid. Your story is not over.
I may have lost some physical abilities, and I may have lost some people along the way, but I refuse to lose my hope, my courage, and my belief in a better tomorrow.
My injury is part of my story, not the end of my story. 🙏
#SpinalCordInjuryAwareness #DisabilityIsNotInability
#StillHuman
#ChooseKindness
#Kike