I cannot imagine the struggle that David Shannon and Chris Watkins went through to plant the “Disabled Parking” sign at the North Pole!I first caught the story this week and have been thinking about it for days now. The amount effort and energy that was required to do this is astounding.
Way to go David and Chris – and all your support team – whoever they might be.
When I lived in Regina I had a close friend that was in a wheel chair because of a motorcycle accident. The accident had severed his spinal column. But did that stop him? No way! The indomitable spirit with the man was something else.
One day when I went to see him we talked at length about the problems of getting around the community. He asked if I would like to experience the challenges for a day. I took the challenge.
The next day he picked me up in his van – which was completed adapted to his personal disabilities. I should say that it was adapted to his abilities – with this guy – NOTHING WAS IMPOSSIBLE – there was no “DIS” in his language!
He arrived with two wheel chairs… his own and one for me. I slipped into the passenger side of the van and away we went.
We headed for the mall and then set out in our wheel chairs.
Before we got into the mall I was already pooped. But that was because the first slope was hard to get up… the mall parking lot is sculpted somewhat to allow for good drainage – making the approach up hill.
The next little bump in the road was some construction on the mall parking lot where the workers had used a special grinding saw to remove the top level of pavement – leaving a depression that was rough and ready to receive a new layer of ceiling pavement – someday. I had noticed this depression weeks ago – just never thought about it – until I rolled a wheel chair through it.
The next bump in the road was the wheel chair accessible curb… where the construction crew made it possible for wheel chairs to get up on the curb…. BUT these guys never have taken a wheel chair up this slope – there was a ONE INCH bump at that spot that took a lot of extra oomph to get over it and mount the sidewalk…
At that point I was already tired. I had yet to get into the Mall. Punching the Button to open the electric door was easy… waiting for the slow opening door was hard – the cold wind and light rain was biting at my ears by now. Other people were rushing through the other doors and shaking the rain off inside… while we waited for the door to open far enough to get in…
In the Mall the Sale was big… and it meant that the Sales Folk in each store had all their products out and ready. Do you know how much stuff they cram into small aisles in a Sale? Tons of it is the answer… and just try to get in with a wheel chair… as excited shoppers grab for their bargains. You will not understand the frustration until you are sitting “Butt High” to a pushy woman!
We went downtown next to the places that were never made for wheel chairs of the old days. Bumps were bigger and doors were harder to get through.
We had started at 10 AM. It was now 3 PM. When he dropped me off I was tired. I had done something that had pooped me out – and that was only 5 hours in the chair.
Can you imagine the North Pole… no matter how many layers of clothing you would wear – you are sitting still in a wheel chair… and it is cold. When you sit still your feet cannot work or move… and they get cold.
David Shannon was paralyzed from the middle of his back down – like my friend was. Circulation in the legs and feet is a problem. Now add the temperatures of the North Pole with Ice and Snow and Wind.
David and Chris made it there this past April 11, 2009.
My hat comes off to you guys and what you have done for the rest of us with abilities. You guys definitely have abilities – not disabilities! The rest of us have disabilities when we could care less – or do not even think about what is needed to do the wheel chair thing.
At home…
My 88 year old mom is not disabled… but she uses a walker.
One day I walked alongside her to the Drug Store. The sidewalk made her walker bounce all over the place. The sidewalk is made up of many, many pieces of poured and repaired cement – that has heaved and moved a lot over the years… it is an old sidewalk!
Mom slowed and then asked if we could stop. I asked if she was tired out. “No” she said, “My arms and shoulders hurt with this bumpy sidewalk.” I watched from then on as she walked. The front wheels of the walk danced crazily as they hit each and ever bump.
There is a world that those of us with our own abilities know nothing. We do not see the little bumps and rises and falls that some others do.
Today I take my hat off and bow low to people with amazing abilities that do things the rest of us could never – ever do!
David and Chris – and your team are amazing – simply amazing!
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/
Source:
http://www.disabilitynation.net/blog/quadriplegic-reaches-geographic-north-pole-historic-first
No comments:
Post a Comment