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Writer's pictureJessicaHaber

Hardware Up In Here

In thinking about what to write for this page, I started looking through some of my old things and came across these little beauties. I’m hoping that in addition to sharing stories and some positive vibes, I can also drop some knowledge on you as well.


This is most of the hardware that was removed from my back during my third back surgery. These rods were initially installed during an eleven hour procedure along with an additional three inches of steel rodding that I had taken out in between the first surgery that immediately followed the accident and the last a few years later.


When I was injured, these were implanted to keep my spine in tact and in the correct position. In addition to these, I got to wear a sweet plastic back brace that other than being white, very much resembled the shell of the ever popular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

As a fifteen year old girl, you can only imagine how excited I was about that.

I thought it would be cool to share because, hey, when do you get to see something like this for real? Also because when people first see me, they see a woman in a wheelchair but I’m sure no one really thinks about all the other things that come along with it.


These rods were a part of my body for four years. Maybe five - I don’t remember… let’s just say, it was a long time. (**my husband just commented- it was 8 years😬). I couldn’t bend, I couldn’t move as freely as I do now without them, and when it was cold out those bitches would feel like frozen popsicles inside my back. I was not sad to see them go.

I did however make a special request to keep them after they were removed. They remind me of a different time. Living in a rehabilitation hospital as an inpatient and the weird, dream-like memories of that fleeting time.


I like looking back on them as a little reminder of just how far I’ve come.

PS- I did not have a cheap pen implanted in my back too- that’s just for size reference 🙄😜

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