Possession Obsession…

I found true beauty in the love of my life, and she has grace and elegance like none before her.  My lovely has a poetic symmetry allowing for smooth Fred Astaire-like movements while having Marilyn Monroe’s curves.  This glamorous Venus enables me to be myself while helping to keep my independence.  However, to receive this gift from the heavens was a difficult battle from the start.  To obtain this alluring artistry, I needed real fortitude and strong tenacity as the dissension was discouragingly disheartening.  Allow me to tell you the story of getting my first fantastically fitted and life-altering wheelchair.

My first wheelchair was a standard hospital-style wheelchair I received from a donation program.  The guy from this awarding agency told me ninety-nine percent of their requests are for power wheelchairs.  He explained they would not ask for my donated chair back and I should plan to keep this heavyweight hand-me-down.  This chair was sixty-five pounds and folded but did not disassemble, and its size and weight made it very difficult to put into most vehicles.  Although my mom often exercises and is relatively fit, she struggled to put my chair into her SUV.

After a lengthy discussion with my doctor, she prescribed an ultralight wheelchair.  I took the prescription to a local seating clinic, where the discouraging part of the story begins.  I rolled into the clinic in my wheelchair that was oversized and ill-fitting for my greatly gaunt body.  They helped me sit on a slightly padded table to begin to take a plethora of body measurements.  This assessment ensured this chariot would fit me comfortably because, as they say, measure twice cut once.  Someone using this personally sized chair for such a long time needs anything encouraging complete comfort.

As a thirty-eight-year-old man in relatively good health, her next statement threw me for a loop.  Not talking to me about my options, she merely asked what I was looking for in a power chair.  We did not discuss the benefits of different styles, so there was no mention of the option of manual wheelchairs and their advantages.  I quickly spoke up and vehemently said I wanted a manual wheelchair.  She explained to me power chairs are much easier to pass through Medicare.  I explained how that was nice, but I reiterated fervently I wanted a manual wheelchair.

After way too much coaxing, they lowered me onto a manual wheelchair that loosely fitted my frame.  This temporary chair was used to test my mobility ability and my strength to self-propel.  I was too stubborn to say, uncle, as I ran through the paces up and down a ramp and over several speedbumps.  They doubted my conviction and continued to challenge my endurance by having me push myself down a long hallway.  This relentless testing proved I am a bullheaded Marine who was unwilling to back down from this exhausting investigation of my capabilities.

My current wheelchair is custom-fit for me and only weighs just over forty pounds.  This lack of bulk allows me to propel myself in most places while not feeling like I am pushing a tank.  The chair disassembles and reassembles with ease and can fit into vehicles from super small to the sizably substantial.  The tires have airless inserts eliminating flat tires or needs for manual manipulation of an air pump.  It has indeed helped me keep my self-reliance and lengthens the list of places I can traverse.

I have been successfully using a manual wheelchair for nine years and even completed a 5k in this seat.  This seating professional should have focused on my physical needs and not her financial wants.  Sadly I believe there are plenty of kickbacks to pad bank accounts nicely.  If you are a person who needs a perfectly precise power chair, there is no question you should have one.  However, I wonder how many people were emphatically encouraged to get a power chair they did not need.  The greed in society is powerful, prevalent, and problematic, and I do not know what we can do to resolve this issue.

Unfortunately, people become self-focused many times in this world, asking themselves what they can gain from this.  This me-ism based world can truly hurt those in need and benefit those looking to get just a little more for themselves.  We must be diligent in knowing what we need to be heroic and heard the reasoning for our desires.  Most importantly, we need to be courageous, ask questions, and stand firm in defense of our ideals.

Be strong vocally and get strong physically.