Life is great, isn't it? It is not perfect, but it is great if you choose to make it this way. If you go looking for a person who has been in perfect health from the day he/she was born, you will find one of two things: (1) a liar or (3) a miracle. The probability is much greater for the first option. In today's modern age, we have become much more aware of the needs of handicapped and disabled persons, especially those in wheel chairs. Sure, it would be wonderful if we were all completely able-bodied, but it's an imperfect world we live in, and we are housed in imperfect bodies. Life in a wheel chair can be challenging, yes. Nevertheless, it can also be very rewarding, busy, happy and productive. It is you that will make this choice.
In wheel chair things look different than if you were on your own two feet. Everyone is taller than you are. Sometimes people don't see you and actually stumble over you. A wheel chair ramp that's a little too steep can make you gulp. Well-meaning people want to push you or do things for you that you can do for yourself to help maintain your sense of independence and self-esteem. Unless you can afford a car that has been specially equipped for those in wheel chairs, you have to depend upon friends for rides or special public transportation. How do you acquire your weekly groceries? It sure would be nice to go to the beach or the mountains occasionally. It may surprise you to know that even in a wheel chair, you can accomplish all these things!
Focusing on What You CAN Do in a Wheel Chair
People of all ages who have been able-bodied all their lives are understandably angry, frightened, frustrated and lose hope when an accident or illness limits them to life in a wheel chair. Your condition may be temporary, such as a spinal cord injury that is expected to improve during a period of intense physical therapy and avoiding weight bearing on your legs via crutches, casts and spending several months in a wheel chair. Of course, some conditions are permanent, causing irreversible paralysis of the lower limbs. This is always bad news. However, the news could be even worse if you refuse to gracefully accept your limitations and make the very best life for yourself in a wheel chair.
Many people who live productive lives in a wheel chair consider their physical limitations to be a physical characteristic of their bodies, having little or nothing to do with who they really are as people. They hold jobs, they raise families, they contribute to their community and their country, and they are as financially and physically independent as they could possibly be.
If you are living your life to the fullest in a wheel chair, you don't need to be coddled, no one needs to feel sorry for you, and you can live an independent and fulfilled life.
