Rio Paralympics

The opening ceremony of the Paralympics was held last night in Rio. I recorded it and have watched it, and will be watching it again with my kids. Watching the parade of athletes is beautiful. Such a wide variety of abilities; some athletes are in wheelchairs, scooters, and power chairs. Many are missing limbs. Some are little people, extremely small in stature. I watched a story of a blind swimmer. The abilities vary, but they are united by the dedication to sport.

Able-bodied Olympic athletes are amazing. The amount of time, money, and hard work they put in to their sport is mind-boggling.  They are celebrated and looked at as heroes, and rightly so.  The Paralympians?  They are the SUPERheroes.  These athletes have not only put in an amazing amount of time, money, and hard work, but by living with a disability, they have also had to deal with more than the average person.  They have dealt with doctor's appointments, which at times can seem never-ending. They have had to find, be fitted for, and learn how to use different types of equipment to help them perform activities of daily living.  Socially they have had to come to peace with the fact that, for some reason, they have ended up in a body that society doesn't consider "normal".  They are proud champions.  The Paralympics are more difficult to find on television. But I searched and I found and I will be watching. Some of it will have to be viewed on the computer through an app, but I know that it will be worth it.  GO USA!!!

  

Staring at freedom!

Back in February on my blog I wrote a post titled Patience. In it I wrote about getting a minivan with a ramp and hand controls and how I assumed I would have it by June. I was off by a few months, as the official pickup day of that van was August 22. I started the process on September 1, 2015, so I can say that at least it took under a year.

Everyone is so happy for me. I am so happy for me. I am very thankful that we were able to purchase a brand-new vehicle and that Vocational  Rehabilitation was willing to pay for the modifications, which cost more than the new van. I even think that having to wait almost a year ended up being a good thing. It gave me the time to mentally prepare myself to be out in public in my power chair.

Once I started limping, then using a cane, then using my scooter and a manual wheelchair, people started staring. People stare in all different ways. There's the outright stare, the "I'm going to look at you and then look away and then think that you don't notice but then take a long stare" stare, the "pull my sunglasses down over my eyes so I can stare better" stare. I'm used to it now, and usually I blow it off or don't even notice. At times I have given a few of my own stare downs in return, and on some grumpy days I've offered to sell tickets, but mostly I blow it off.

Being in a power chair is a whole different beast. It's funny, my scooter was kind of cool looking and people would often ask about it or say how it looks very handy. No one says that about a power chair. No one says "I wish I had one of those!" I don't blame them!  Let this serve as a public service announcement. If you are over the age of 10 and see someone in a scooter, you don't need to comment on how handy it looks or how convenient it must be or how you wish you had one of those. It's not convenient. Two healthy walking legs are convenient. I am envious of your healthy legs. I don't care if they are fat or thin, hairy or smooth, blotchy, full of freckles, tan, or white as a ghost.  Don't be envious of a scooter. That's ridiculous.

After being on house arrest for 90% of the time the past eight months, being out in a power chair is wonderful. I am a social person. I like to be out among people at events watching my kids. I like to go on dates with my husband without having to worry about shoving my legs into a car. I like to be around people so much that finally it's annoying and I cherish being home alone. I will take this new freedom and enjoy it more now than I ever did when I walking.  And if you are staring at me, stare away.  Know that you are staring at a mom and wife who is enjoying life.