30 Days – In a Wheelchair

This episode really made me ponder what would I do if I was suddenly in a wheelchair.  It’s not something most people think about, or at least I don’t.

It was comforting to see that there are decent options for getting a car made available for people to drive, and retrofitting their houses, but honestly, I’d have to buy a new house if I were unfortunate enough to suddenly have to be in a wheelchair.  I’d have to get a new job too, the one I work at isn’t very wheelchair accessible.  It really would be a huge impact on my life if something bad were to happen to me.

The episode recalled to me an experience I had in Europe several years ago.  I twisted my ankle pretty badly walking around Paris one day, and the following day we were touring the Louvre.  I could barely walk, so we rented a wheelchair and my boyfriend was kind enough to push me around in it all day.  Perhaps it’s the age of the Louvre, but getting around that thing in the chair was kind of difficult.  There were areas where it was good that I wasn’t fully wheelchair bound, because there just was no option available and I had to get up and slowly walk down some stairs.  Everyone looked at me differently than they had before as well.  Fortunately, the circumstances here in the states are better than that these days.

One of the people in the episode was a woman who had been in a very bad car accident two months before they started filming the show, and it went through some of her rehab and the progress she was making.  It was difficult for me to see this, a once very independent woman being forced to rely on other people, mentioning how she was going to have to live with her parents again.  It’s amazing how one little thing can change your whole life around.

I feel like I have a whole new appreciation for my ability to function without assistance – and a renewed admiration for the people who are in different situations and have to deal with life differently on a daily basis.