Shift cable and shift lever problems

I have a 96 ford escort lx 1.9 automatic that had sat in the parking lot for the whole winter and was only moved once so the snow could be plowed. When I moved it the gear shifter was hard to move but not impossible. Didnt pay it any attention and when I went to start it recently it wouldnt. Played with the shifter alittle and got it started. I guess it wasnt it park but it said it was. When I went to put it in reverse it skipped it and went into drive. Had to struggle to get it in park and I broke my shift cable. I got it off of both ends and I just cant figure out how to get it threaded threw from the shifter to the shift lever and which way I would wanna go with it, pull it out from the cab or the engine. Neither end will fit threw the hole. Should I tape wire to one end so I can feed it back threw? On further investigation I found my shifter lever is froze up pretty good and was the cause of the whole mess so if I get the cable fixed I still have to deal with that. Any suggestions