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I am a writer whose fictional passion is horror/supernatural and history, which led to me writing a novella titled Sword of the Undead, a re-telling of Bram Stoker's Dracula, but the vampire being a Japanese samurai.
In 2012, however, I contracted meningitis, which resulted in a damages spinal cord. Having found very little written about the experiences of people with spinal cord injury, I decided to chronicle my efforts to walk again. This led to the publication of Toe Up to 10K.
In the future, I plan to write more about my recovery, and return to writing supernatural and historical fiction.
Reviewed by Chris Fischer for Readers' Favorite
A true story of determination, hope and recovery, Toe Up to 10K: A Journey of Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury by author Steven Fujita is an inspirational read that’s hard to put down. When Steven Fujita, a generally healthy man, has a headache that lasts a few days, he’s at first not concerned. He’d experienced them before, often when going through caffeine withdrawal, and took his usual aspirin to treat them. But when his headache grew so terrible that he sought medical attention, he was diagnosed with viral meningitis, and the next thing he knew, he was waking up after several days in the ICU with burning hot skin, a tracheotomy tube in his throat attached to a ventilator that was breathing for him, and paralyzed from the waist down due to a spinal cord injury at the T4 level.
From this hellish scenario that anyone can relate to, and fear, Steven Fujita was able to claw his way back to normalcy. Not easily, not with simplicity, and not completely, at least at the time that this book was published, but with a grit and work ethic that few might have the reserves to pull together. In a person’s darkest hour, it’s hard to guess how they may react, and at a time when many people may have decided to curl up in a ball and wish for death, Mr. Fujita acted with a bravery and strength that is more than admirable, it is inspirational.
Toe Up to 10K: A Journey of Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury is a wonderful read for anyone who enjoys a great inspirational story, but would be even more appropriate for anyone who is dealing with or has dealt with an extremely difficult health issue, and their family and loved ones. After reading this book, I live in hope that Steven Fujita continues on his path to a full recovery, and that we may be able to read more of his journey in a follow up book in the future.
