Hello, my name is Justin Jarvis and as the title of this blog states I am an amputee. A double bilateral amputee to be precise but I won`t get into that part yet so I`ll start with how life was for me before my amputation. 

 Hailing from a community called Grand Lagoon located along the Mayaro/Guayaguayare Road which takes up a small part of the greater Mayaro county. In a household of seven the place seems crammed but somehow, we all find our own space. For me it was the scenic views when standing on top of the hill or down on the beach bathing in the salty waters, so that wasn’t too difficult. 

 I returned home during April of last year after spending four years trying to further my education while supporting myself. I lived and worked in Arouca for the greater part of those years in my pursuit of a certificate in Agriculture at the Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry. I`ve always wanted to attend E.C.I.A.F and I love agriculture. So, I studied to meet the requirements so that I could apply however the pressures of my work life and personal life soon clashed and I was left with no choice but to return home. 

 This for me was very disheartening as my whole life was thrown off course. I had to leave the apartment I worked hard to achieve, the friends I made and I had to give up on my aspirations. A kaleidoscope of feelings washed over me for many weeks as I adjusted to the new living conditions. 

I was able to keep my job and reconnected with old friends and family which made things a little easier. As time went on, the July/August period came and I got re-involved in the activities of the Mayaro Police Youth Club and Project X. The former the youth club(s) of Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the later a local NGO and I was a member of both before I left. I got involved in other social groups and NGOs and participated in hikes and sporting events. Went on excursions with friends as some of our birthdays, including mines, was around that time as well as seen in the pictures below. I`ll post more as I go on

 I thought life was looking up again, you know? That I just went through a rough patch and was getting back on my feet. Things at home smoothed out and I got another job to help finance my new academic course of direction. I was even given the opportunity to sit on the executive of the youth groups I was involved in. So, for me, things were going even better, little did I know I was about to face the biggest challenge of my life thus far. 

 That’s all for now. I`ll continue in my next post. This was originally to be an assignment for a course I'm currently undertaking but given my circumstance I`ve been told many times to do something like this. As such I decided to make this official and continue to utilize this blog after I`ve successfully completed the course as a means of sharing my story. 

 Until next time!