March 16, 2017

It's been a pretty exciting couple of weeks. Florida was the perfect Christmas present...we were able to leave some snow and cold temperatures for a little bit of sunshine. Not quite as much sun and warmer temps as I had hoped for, but it was still better! The first place I traveled to in a wheelchair was to Punta Cana last February. I wasn't even a full two months out of acute care, I still had my loaner wheelchair (the one that weighed over 60lbs!), and I was still pretty dependent on other people. But Dusty's grandfather paid for my trip and I was just so excited to be out of the hospital and go somewhere warm that it seemed like the perfect opportunity. As you can recall, traveling was quite an adventure.. they don't really understand the term "wheelchair accessibility" in the Dominican. Luckily, they were so hospitable that it didn't really matter (well, that and the fact that Dusty makes anything work, haha. If I can't get my chair somewhere, he just picks me up!)

It's unbelievable to me how many people abuse the use of wheelchairs in the airport. I know that airports can be big and many people, even if able to walk, can't quite walk those distances. But all of the people I saw in wheelchairs couldn't have actually needed it. I try so hard to not be judgmental, but I was the only one in a long line of wheelchairs that didn't just jump right out of it to walk through the security sensors. I, instead, had to be individually patted down. One woman even tried to make a joke about it from a few lines over saying that I was getting a "free massage." Not quite that enjoyable, lady. I was also the only one that had to use the aisle chair to get onto the plane because I couldn't just get up and walk to my seat on board. And it's also unbelievable to me that only a handful of employees even know how to work the aisle seat (if you don't know, it's this little "L" shaped chair with straps that hold you in and it's narrow enough to go onto the plane and down the narrow aisle). Dulles was actually great at helping me get onto the plane, but the man that brought that chair to me when we landed in Orlando was completely clueless. He couldn't understand why the chair wouldn't move and it's because the brakes were still on it.. but all in all, it was a lot smoother than my previous travel experience and I'm learning more and more with every place I go. I just wish there was more of a standard for how to travel in a wheelchair and that different airports had the same requirements and procedures. I expect for it to maybe be different in other countries, but in the US, we should keep it the same. Let people know what they are supposed to do and keep it the same, it's hard enough to go different places in a wheelchair and if we at least knew what was required of us, we could be more prepared and not stick out even more than we already do...or hold up lines more than we have to!

Once at the resort, we mostly just stayed on the premises and near the pool. I stuck to my diet and we cooked almost all our own meals in our condo, which really made me happy because I wasn't about to take steps backwards after finding out that I'd finally lost weight! And we really must have done a good job because Mom lost 3lbs during our visit!

I was so fortunate to have been able to meet up with so many people I knew while in Florida. On the first full day we were there, two of my friends and classmates drove an hour and a half to come spend the day with me. They're currently doing a rotation in Tampa and didn't hesitate at all once they found out how close I was. Over the next couple days, I was also able to catch up with my grandparents and aunt and uncle that also live nearby. We met my grandma for lunch and towards the end of our meal, my grandfather even stopped by. He's been having some back problems and we didn't think we'd be able to see him, so it was nice to be able to catch up with him as well.

We spent one day by the pool and got to spend it with my aunt and uncle, who we hadn't seen in a couple of years. We also even met new friends! There's a woman that owns a timeshare at the resort and she was vacationing with two of her neighbors from Wisconsin. I think she was automatically drawn to me because when her daughter (who is now in her 40s) was 17, she was in a car accident that left her paraplegic. She instantly struck up a conversation and it was more natural than the other people randomly passing by and asking things like "are you okay?" I always just smile and politely say yes, but I'd like to come up with a good answer to that...maybe I should've said "no, my drink is empty." haha, Do you think that would work? I'm kind of used to people buying me drinks at bars...it's always been like that. Dusty loves when a guy asks him if he can buy me a drink because he always replies with "buy her as much as you want, she's going home with me!" But I think this happens even more now because of the wheelchair...that's one thing I don't really get insulted by. Hey, if that's a "perk" to the chair, then I'll look at it as one while I can. I also get a lot of compliments about my smile or how pretty my eyes are, which has actually always happened as well. I'm not sure about the eyes, but I know I have pretty teeth--as I should, having gone through nine years of braces! And I hadn't thought anything about it until someone complimented me in front of my brother and he got so mad saying "what, does that guy feel better about himself now that he complimented the girl in the wheelchair??" Maybe I'm just naive, but I never even thought about it like that before. And now I can't help but question every compliment I get! And what a shame. Being nice and pleasant is one thing and I think our world needs more of that, but there's also a difference between that and showing pity. I think James is wrong though, I don't think I'm showed much pity. I like to think maybe people are drawn towards me because of the wheelchair, but also that maybe I motivate them or just by continuing to live my life and follow my dreams, I'm showing people there aren't boundaries. That maybe their aches and complaints aren't as bad as they make them out to be. And if it takes a little compliment about my eyes or smile to strike up a conversation like that, then I'll take it.

But anyways, this woman, Diane, invited us to her condo one night because they have a balcony and can see the fireworks from both Epcot and Magic Kingdom. I hadn't seen the fireworks before and I know it isn't the same as actually being at one of the parks, but it was still a sight to see. She also wanted me to check out the accessibility of their place since it was different from ours, which I really appreciated. I was so intrigued by her daughter's story because she is grown with a family of her own now and her daughter, Diane's granddaughter, has started an adaptive water skiing program. I saw videos of different people getting out on the water for the first time and it was just so uplifting to see all the smiles...this is definitely going to be another adaptive sport I have to try! (I'm on a mission to try as many as I can, while I can). The program is called "Graceful Wakes"--here's a video https://vimeo.com/175471208

My last day was really exciting. Awhile back, one of my roommates shared my GoFundMe page on Facebook to an optometry forum for doctors across the US that we are all a part of. A female optometrist in Orlando saw this and sent it to a woman she knows, named Donna. Donna's husband is also an optometrist in Orlando and their son had ADEM. He is now 14 and fully recovered, but I've talked to this woman a lot over the past year. I know it's kind of crazy how we can get connected to people via the internet, but it's also pretty amazing if you think about it (in some cases, at least). Donna was talking to my mom and trying to plan our last day in Florida as a surprise for me. She wanted to meet us for lunch and have me meet the optometrist in Orlando to talk to her about my future profession. In the end, our plans kind of fell through. Donna's son was in a play at his school and she had to be there to help. Instead of just canceling plans, she made arrangements for someone (a woman whose daughter actually plays Cinderella at one of the parks) to meet us at the gate and get us into Epcot for the day. It was so great! I haven't been to Disney since our family trip when I was in the 5th grade and I honestly don't remember very much. I also really wasn't old enough to appreciate Epcot. Not only was I older this time, but I also got to see it through different eyes and check out the accessibility (which I'd heard was great, but I have learned to not always trust it when people say that). I'm happy to report that I was actually pleasantly surprised! They have a separate map for those with disabilities and a whole map key with different symbols that tell you if you can stay in your manual chair or if you have to transfer into a seat for the ride or presentation. There aren't a ton of rides at Epcot because it's more educational and has the different countries, but I was still able to do pretty much everything they had. I'm fortunate enough to be in a manual chair already, otherwise I think you would've had to transfer to one of the standard ones they kept there if you were going to get on a ride and stay in your chair. I think it would've been harder for someone in an electric chair, but at the same time, there are so many people in electric scooters, that I think it wouldn't be as inconvenient as you'd think.

But that brings me to another point...those electric scooters people rent!! AH!! The only thing worse than everyone using a wheelchair at the airport is seeing everyone in those scooters at Disney! I mean, I had a hard time driving an electric chair when I was in rehab, so you can only imagine some of these people driving them around a crowded amusement park. I saw several people run into things and one guy even took a turn too sharp and was on two wheels. I'm not making this up. Older couples would rent them, put little sun visors on the top with bug screens, put all their bags on the back, and then have trouble driving them around. I can't tell you how many times I waited in the wheelchair line behind these people and then they forgot how to turn the scooter back on, so we ended up being the last people in the ride or movie/event. At least once we were in the park and saw all of this, I understood why even with hundreds of handicapped parking spots, we still had trouble finding one.

The day was made even better by me being able to meet one of my friends from undergrad who is currently living in Orlando. She works for Disney and I haven't seen her since graduation. It kind of sucks how people grow apart as you get older and time passes, but it's also amazing if you get the chance to catch up and this was one of those moments.

Our trip home was possibly even easier than our trip to Florida as far as accessible travel goes. The flight attendants both ways went out of their way to make me comfortable (without drawing extra attention to me, like a lot of people do), and my wheelchair was ready and waiting for me as soon as I got off the plane (and this time, the girl actually knew how to work the aisle chair!) Matter of fact, the girl that brought the aisle chair to me when we landed was the same girl that helped me onto the plane when I initially left Dulles. She came on to get me and said "I thought I recognized your name on the list!" I joked back, telling her that I wasn't gone nearly long enough if they still remembered me!

I have a huge exam next week-- it's one exam for the whole class. I'm not taking a midterm and doing other assignments, just this one test. I think there are benefits and drawbacks to that, but I'm going to be so happy when it's over. I feel like all I'm doing is studying and somedays, I don't feel like I'm even accomplishing anything. So hopefully the time I've put into studying will pay off next week. I'm at least a little more at ease with how things are going because the professors I'm working with now have been very attentive and quick to answer emails with any questions or problems I've had.

The last thing I wanted to mention was that I had my first driving lesson on Monday!! I was so nervous, convinced that driving with hand controls would be much like driving a manual car--which I have practiced before and never even made it out of a parking lot. My driving instructor, Tammy, made me feel so comfortable behind the wheel. Like, as soon as I started driving, it felt pretty natural. I hadn't thought about it before, but I think I had two things going for me. 1) I already knew how to drive. I know the rules of the road and the appropriate reaction time I needed to decelerate and accelerate. and 2) Everything I do is with my hands and arms now, it was bound to feel more natural than I expected. There are a lot of different kinds of hand controls, but the ones I used were installed on the right side of the wheel and I pushed forward to brake and twisted to accelerate. I started by doing a few laps around an empty parking lot, working on right turns and then left turns. Then we made a big loop around multiple parking lots, including a walmart parking lot. I was kind of feeling like if I could navigate through that parking lot with all those people not paying any attention, I could drive anywhere. And before I knew it, I was on route 50 and then 66! (two major roads through VA). I'm already looking forward to next week because I have two more lessons--Monday and Thursday, and then I have to wait a couple weeks to schedule a behind the wheel test with the DMV. But after that and after I get the car modified with the proper hand controls, I'm good to go! The next goal will be for me to load and unload my chair by myself. I think I can do it, but I think it's going to take some problem solving. I've also talked to a lot of patients that have hurt their shoulders from moving their chairs in and out of the car, so I just want to be cautious and make sure I'm doing it the best way possible. The last thing I need is to strain my shoulders or hurt a rotator cuff! Especially since those are already over used in people that are in wheelchairs. I'll post an update after my test and next driving lesson! I didn't have therapy this week because of the snow storm, so hopefully I'll have some updates from therapy as well.