MORE INDEPENDENCE

FRIDAY WAS A DIFFERENT DAY. USUALLY, I SEE EVERYONE B4 THEY HEAD OFF, SO WE PRAY & I GET FED BREAKFAST, BUT BY A FLUKE, I DIDN’T SEE THE KIDS OFF, & MK HAD AN EMERGENCY CALL, SO I DIDN’T GET 2 TALK 2 HIM B4 HE LEFT! SO NO1 WAS AROUND 2 GIVE ME BREAKFAST OR MY MORNING MEDS! BUT I DIDN’T FREAK—IN FACT, I WAS SURE I COULD DO IT, CUZ I HAD ALMOST DONE IT ON TUES.!

1. I WENT & PULLED OUT ENOUGH PAPER TOWELS 2 MAKE A BIB, & PUT IT ON.
2. I GOT A SPOON FROM OUR DRAWER.
3. I GOT A PAPER BOWL FROM OUR PANTRY—THIS WAS TRICKY, & I MAY HAVE SQUISHED A FEW THINGS (DESPITE MY CONSTANT PLEAS 2 KEEP THE PANTRY FLOOR CLEAR, THERE WAS A FEW THINGS), BUT I BROUGHT THE BACK OF MY CHAIR FWD. & LEANED FWD., SO I’D SQUISH LESS!
4. THIS PART I GIVE A SHOUT-OUT & THX JESS 4 SHOWING ME HOW 2 DO (SHE SAT IN MY LAP ONE DAY & SHOWED ME HOW SHE’D DO THIS, IF SHE WAS ME): I OPENED THE FRIDGE & DRAWER, & GOT OUT COTTAGE CHEESE. THIS WAS ACTUALLY TRICKY—LUCKY MY BACK WAS FWD SO I HAD MORE ROOM, BUT THE COTTAGE CHEESE WAS ON IT’S SIDE & HARD 2 GRASP, SO I ALMOST RESORTED 2 THE APPLESAUCE NEXT 2 IT, BUT I DECIDED 2 1ST TRY RAISING MY CHAIR UP, SO MY ARM WAS ANGLED DIFFERENT, & IT WORKED!
5. OUR CLEANERS CAME IN AS I WAS CLOSING THE FRIDGE—THE EXACT POINT I HAD GOTTEN TO ON TUES.! BUT THEY SPEAK SPANISH, & MAY NOT KNOW I DON’T NORMALLY DO THIS, SO WE SAID HI, & I KEPT GOING.
6. I OPENED THE COTTAGE CHEESE, GOT MY MEDICINE OUT OF MY PILL CASE, ATE, & CLEANED UP!

SPEAKING OF MY GROWING INDEPENDENCE,, ZACH TURNED 16 IN JULY, & WHEN ZACH GOT HIS DRIVER S LICENSE, IT IS AS THOUGH I DID, TOO! I HAVE A NEW-FOUND INDEPENDENCE: NOT ONLY CAN I SEND ZACH ON IMMEDIATE ERRANDS FOR ME (INSTEAD OF WAITING HOURS, DAYS, WEEKS, OR MONTHS FOR IT), BUT I CAN ALSO GO PLACES W/O MK, & ZACH CAN HELP MK CART KIDS AROUND NOW TOO. IT IS AWESOME! (HOWEVER, I COUNT MY BLESSINGS THAT I NEVER DROVE W/ZACH UNTIL NOW! LOL)

AUGUST MARKED NOT ONLY A BIG BIRTHDAY 4 ME, BUT ALSO HALFWAY POINT: 9.3 YEARS AGO, I HAD MY STROKE. IT HAS NOW BEEN 9.5 YEARS SINCE MY STROKE. THAT’S ALMOST 10 YEARS! 10 YEARS IS A LONG TIME, & I DON’T KNOW HOW MK DOES IT!

HOWEVER, MY KIDS ARE SHOWING THE WEAR & TEAR: THEY ARE SLOWER TO RESPOND TO HELP ME WHEN I RING MY BELL, & THEY NO LONGER CHEER IF I COME ALONG ON OUTTINGS–I’D GUESS CUZ THEY ARE NO LONGER NAIVE 2 WHAT IT MAY MEAN…)

BUT 10 YEARS AGO, I ONLY DREAMED ABOUT FEEDING MYSELF, AMONGST THE OTHER STUFF I CAN NOW DO! IT IS A LONG TIME 4 ME TOO! ON 1 HAND, I’VE COME SO FAR IN 10 YEARS, YET ON THE OTHER, I THINK, “IT’S TAKEN ME 10 YEARS TO DO THAT?!?” BUT EITHER WAY, IT FEELS GOOD!

EVEN FORIEGNERS UNDERSTAND ME!

PICTURE THIS:

ME (SOMEONE WHO CAN’T SPEAK, BUT HEARS & UNDERSTANDS ENGLISH) SITTING IN MY W/C SIDEWAYS (SO I CAN USE MY HAND) AT A KITCHEN TABLE PLAYING THE CARD GAME “SKIP-BO” WITH 2 KIDS FROM THE UKRAINE WHO DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH, LAUGHING, JOKING, & HAVING A GREAT TIME!

THIS ACTUALLY OCCURRED ON SATURDAY! IT IS AMAZING HOW WELL WE CAN COMMUNICATE…IT IS MOSTLY THROUGH OUR ACTIONS, THOUGH I SPEAK ENGLISH ABOUT AS WELL AS THEY DO, & DIMA IS LEARNING MY “ACCENT,”& ACTUALLY HAS UNDERSTOOD A FEW WORDS (SO EXCITING)! FIGUES IT IS TIME FOR THEM 2 LEAVE THIS WEEK.

THE ABILITIES EXPO

THIS LAST WEEK, I’M PROUD 2 SAY THAT I CLEANED UP LUNCH:
• PUT SILVERWARE IN SINK
• PUT LIDS ON THE PB&J
• TWIST TIE THE BREAD—NOT GREAT, & IT TOOK FOREVER, BUT I DID IT, EVENTUALLY!
• TRASHED PARCHMENT PAPER, AFTER SANDWICHES WERE MADE ON IT
• SQUEEZE OUT & WIPED THE COUNTER (IT WASN’T GREAT, BUT AT LEAST I SAW THE CRUMBS, SO I KNEW TO TRY!)

THE PREVIOUS WEEKEND, I ATTENDED THE ABILITIES EXPO IN HOUSTON. I SAW MANY EXCITING THINGS! 4 THOSE WHO COULDN’T GO, BUT WOULD’VE LIKED TO GO, I THOUGHT I’D SHARE SOME OF THE LINKS & INFO I GATHERED…

I REALLY LIKED THE WALKERS, BUT THEY MAY BE A LITTLE AHEAD OF MY GAME…NOT SURE IF I SHOULD 1ST JUST STAND A WHOLE LOT, & GAIN SOME TRUNK SUPPORT TOO! SO HERE’S WHAT I SAW THAT I LIKED:

walkers:
http://litegait.com/md.html (lift & potty too, but it probably requires more trunk support than I have)
http://mulhollandinc.com/products/walkabout-1/

standing wheelchairs–
http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=vk2ftaWqVKI –questions I had after seeing this: does it have lights? & can i use my computer w/it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlMvlaSzoxg –i know it has lights, but does it recline as far as my current chair? & can i use my computer w/it?

http://www.frankmobility.com -the duet bike
http://www.kx2devices.com -Foot drop,
to find horse therapy, I was told 2 look up “professional association of horsemanship international PATH integration (I couldn’t read the rest!)”
http://www.motoathome.com – motomed therapy bike, viva 2 light—I liked the clinical, not the home one!
http://www.dodgen-bornfreecom.com –accessible RV
http://www.adaptivedriving.com ? -accessible truck
http://www.myellura.com -urinary tract medicine
http://www.kinovausa.com -robotic arm
I LIKED THE VOICE CARRY OVER TELEPHONES, THAT SPEAK WHAT U TYPE, BUT I’M NOT THE FASTEST TYPER!
http://www.unitedspinal.org -had a cool packet about “disability etiquette” –here’s a PDF of it: http://www.unitedspinal.org/pdf/DisabilityEtiquette.pdf )

BUT THE TRAVEL STUFF WAS LAME-MY HUSBAND, MK, COULD HAVE SET UP A BOOTH & SHARED MORE THAN THEY DID! I HAD REAL QUESTIONS, 2 FIGURE OUT HOW & WHERE 2 GO 2 MAKE TRAVEL MORE ACCESSIBLE, BUT THEY WERE JUST SELLING GROUP TRIPS…& SORRY, MAYBE THIS IS GOING AGAINST “MY OWN KIND,” BUT AFTER BEING IN A CONVENTION FULL OF WHEELCHAIRS, THERE IS NO WAY I’M GOING ON A VACATION WITH TONS OF WHEELCHAIRS!

Everyone has a “voice”

SONY DSC
OUR UKRANIAN VISITOR, DIMA, HAS STARTED 2 FIGURE OUT THAT I SPEAK ENGLISH AS WELL AS HE DOES (ONLY MY “ACCENT” IS SLURRING WORDS), & THAT I COMMUNICATE W/ACTIONS & THROUGH THE COMPUTER LIKE HIM, BUT I THINK YESTERDAY WAS A BIT OF A TURNING POINT: HE SAW MY HUMOR, SO HE LAUGHS AT WHAT I SAY MORE, IF IT WAS MEANT 2 BE FUNNY, & TODAY, HE LAUGHED AT THE FUNNY PICTURE ON MY SHIRT-WHICH I HAVE WORN B4!

PLUS, I WAS ABLE 2 SPEAK REALLY WELL YESTERDAY, & THE COMPUTER GUY WHO HELPS ME, UNDERSTOOD A LOT, WHICH SEEMED 2 OPEN HIS EYES. & I DON’T THINK HE’S SEEN ME WRITE B4, BUT HE PICKED UP THAT I WROTE WHAT I COULDN’T SAY, & I THINK HE WAS ABLE 2 SEE MORE HOW IT IS JUST AS DIFFICULT 4 ME 2 COMMUNICATE AS IT IS 4 HIM.

ALSO, I JUST RETURNED FROM A LYNN FAMILY REUNION IN DESTIN, FL. I WAS SO IMPRESSED BY HOW OUR VISITORS FROM THE UKRAINE WERE JUST TAKEN IN, & I REALIZED HOW FORTUNATE I AM!

Everyone has a “voice” even the non verbal because a personas true voice Isn’t in the things they say. Its in their actions, thoughts and feelings.
“People with Disabilities Rock” FB Page

WHILE THERE, I SAW A SHOW THAT POSED THIS QUESTION: “WOULD A GOD WHO LOVES U DO (SUCH & SUCH)?”

I GUESS I COULD ASK IF A GOD WHO LOVES ME WOULD LET ME HAVE A STROKE, & DENY ME MANY THINGS IN LIFE. I DON’T KNOW IF HE DID OR NOT: POSSIBLY HE DID, CUZ HE LOVED ME ENOUGH 2 LET ME SUFFER SO I COULD GROW…
(I CAN’T FIND IT, BUT I WANTED 2 INSERT A QUOTE ABOUT HOW GLAD WE ARE THAT GOD LOVED US ENOUGH TO NOT GIVE IN WHEN IT GOT HARD & CHRIST WAS PLEADING TO REMOVE THIS CUP, & LET CHRIST BE CRUCIFIED/SUFFER)

BUT WHETHER OR NOT HE DID, GOD MADE SURE 2 PLACE ME IN A LOVING FAMILY, & MARRY INTO A LOVING FAMILY. NOT A DAY WENT BY WHERE I WAS NOT IN WAS BY GOD’S LOVE 4 ME, EITHER THROUGH MY HUSBAND, MK, OR THROUGH AN EXTENDED FAMILY MEMBER. THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS IS HUGE. I NEVER REALIZED HOW HUGE, UNTIL RECENTLY. I WAS NOT LEFT ALONE, OR PUT IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION WHERE I COULDN’T FEEL GOD’S LOVE!