Quadly
|
Joined: 8/5/2005
Msg: 101 | |
| |
inachu
|
Joined: 11/18/2006
Msg: 102 | |
| |
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 12/19/2006 11:51:28 PM | my best friends in a a wheel chair he broke his back while him and I were riding our bmx bikes at our dirt jumps and a few months after him and I were joking about making his chair the fastest one in the world like on "freddy got fingered" the girl with the rocket chair. For christmas I got a chair for him which I found at a garage sale when a elderly person passed away but little does he know I took it to my work and well did a bit of work on the whole chair after work and its not even a chair anymore its more like a 13.5hp rocket which will do about 100km's per hour is my guess. It's almost done.
I'm just wondering whats gonna happen if he gets seen ripping along in it by a cop would he get a ticket for a wheel chair on the road going fast? or could he get a Dui for driving his chair? considering its just a wheel chair which was modified a bit. it's kind of a grey area. | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 12/20/2006 8:24:56 AM | I've got 2 buddies in wheel chairs.
Both of them go out hunting. Sure, they can't wheel through the thick brush and over logs etc. but they still go out! The one drives 4 wheelers all the time... They really aren't that different other than when they get in and out of my truck I gotta throw the chair in the back of the pickup and get it back out for them thats it! | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 12/20/2006 10:52:40 AM | ohh wow.. I have to be more honest here,
Yes its wierd for me,
1. because I never knew anyone in a wheelchair
2. because your totally right, I wouldn't know what todo
3. because i wouldn't wanna keep looking down at you
I wanna clear this up too, I'm not a shallow person, read my other posts, read my profile, I'm not here to judge anyone, I'm not materalistic or here to make fun or make anyone life a hell, I'll tell you what, If you want I'll just in a wheel chair too, that would fix 1,2 & 3
because...
1. I would be in a wheelchair
2. I would do anything at all.
3. you'd be at eye level :D
Thanks and hope this helps a little, and the last honest comment is that your a hottie anyways, so who cares about wheelchairs your a cute face girl ;)
Vincent | |
|
| |
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 12/20/2006 3:49:36 PM | OK, two things here:
First: vinncheung, you are totally safe on this thread to say whatever it is your feelings are, this is totally an open disscussion. A lot of people wouldn't know what to do / how to react.
Second: forummb, How much do I have to kiss your @$$ to get you to make me one of those?? Fastest one I"ve seen is 11 km/hr. Mine will go 14, but that's only down a big hill. (and I won't say how fast it takes me to go back up the damn thing!!) | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 12/20/2006 6:17:16 PM | I had a friend in one of those electric wheelchairs, and she had limited use of one of her arms...she was (and still is) amazing. Although after a few trips to downtown T.O. I learned that steel toed boots come in handy :) I swear she would get her rear tires as close to my toes as possible just to see me jump...haha...I told her I'd just attach a little red wagon to the back and sit in it from then on, that didn't work out very well.
We had no problem finding things to do that where accessible, then again I guess it depends on where you are and what you like to do.
So yeah I have no problem with a friend in a wheelchair, and I wouldn't go as far as to call them a "hassle"...just a friend. Oh and Yup the "extra work" is worth it!!
Cheers
p.s. you may have noticed that I used the past tense when talking about this friend...when I moved out west for a year things got complicated and we lost touch. | |
|
Quadly
|
Joined: 8/5/2005
Msg: 109 | |
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 12/20/2006 6:24:33 PM | yours will not, unless your talking about your manual chair freewheelin' lmoa
mine does 15k which is fun in the mall but slow if your headed to kits...
remember .. wheelchair = no bumper....
i have the 'ferrari' of production made w/c's. i weigh 530lbs in my powerchair..you don't want me to hit your ankles...
i almost erased a kid at the mall today.
tell your friend to rip it up...
carefully
Q | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 12/30/2006 8:36:12 AM |
remember .. wheelchair = no bumper....
That is one thing that bugs me, I think I'll get a cattle guard on mine, like the trains have. It'll make it a lot easier to get through crowds!! I wouldn't mind if it was electric too..... this could be fun.... | |
|
| |
Keljo
|
Joined: 12/28/2005
Msg: 112 | |
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 12/31/2006 10:25:18 PM | I had a friend in a wheelchair in college. I did an experiment with the college TV station on accessibilty....and spent a day in a wheel chair (legs restrained).
What an eye opener THAT was!
We still took "Chip" with us everywhere, even when we couldn't take the university handicapped accessible van. We made due when needed - lifted him out of his chair and CARRIED him if we had to do so!
Only time it became a problem is when we broke down in a snow storm and couldn't carry hime or psuh him in his wheelchair through the snow so we had to wait for rescue.
It makes no difference to me. One nice thing about my disABLED friends - handicapped parking and no waiting in line at amusement parks!!! They joke about it all the time...saying they only bring ME along in case of emergency and they need someone to RUN for help.  | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/1/2007 10:19:31 AM | Codee,
How about donating to stem cell research?
Why I ask is because I'm about to write a novel where one of the main character is a quad and I thought I would try to talk the publisher into giving a percentage to a quad charity. | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/1/2007 11:27:36 AM | One of the best men I ever knew was in a wheelchair, he taught me more about horses out of that chair, he was a clown in a junior rodeo, and was drug by a bull, broke his neck.
H e kept me out of a lot of trouble as a kid, I took care of his horses for him while learning from him.
I would do something wrong he was the first to scold me for it, like a second father to me,
More work I think not, I had mostof the memories as a child with a man in a wheelchair, I would say it was well worth the extra trouble, and a woman in a wheel chair would not bother me either, I believe the bond between us would be stronger than most couples, think about that one for a while. See if these people can figure out why. You and I know don't we. | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/1/2007 8:17:12 PM | Hot Snowman:
I don't know of any specialty quad funds myself, but message a guy on here "quadly" and he'll know, he knows everything, and the little he doesn't, he'll find out for sure. Stem cell reaserch (spelling, i know) is great, it's just the debate on the ethics of it that's sticky. I wonder if any of the activists against it are quads? Being a para sucks, but it's NOTHING compared to being a quad. I think they should all spend an entire week or evean just a day with a quad and see how much most can't do. It sickens me to think that we might have a cure avalible and not be using it because of some people's ethics. I know, everyone is entitled to their opinoin, but is everyone not also entitled to be able to brush their own teeth, boil some water, get dressed on their own?? (sorry not ranting at you, just a frustration of mine)
Keljo:
I didn't know that I wasn't the only gibble that got no lineups at the fair! It totally rocked when the bf and I went to the PNE fright nights, the lines were over an hour long EACH. We just went on them all, I evean went on the rollar coaster!!!
Buckethand56:
I do totally find that the bond between the bf and I has deepend to an unreal level since I became a para. The first time I had an 'accident' in public and he took me home and put me in the bath, caring so gently for me as I was crying out of humilation, that's when I knew for sure he's a keeper. We have no qualms now, I've learned to trust him. (that was a tough one for me!!) | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/2/2007 11:28:18 AM | Thanks, Codee. Unfortunately, he restricts messages to just those from Canada. I'll try to hail him here. Also, as you're in Canada, please fire him a message to check this thread for my questions. Thanks.
QUADLY, could you answer my charity questions? Thanks!
---
As for being a quad, that is definitely not something I would want to live. Would pick it over being mentally impaired, but that's at the bottom of my list. Next up from the bottom would be being both blind and deaf. Being both blind and deaf would seem to be a form of mental prison to me. Next up would be being like the Elephant Man. That's social isolation. Then it would be being a quad.
And being a non-believer, I think the opposition to stem cell research is beyond decency. All those that oppose it should be made into a quad. Not temporarily either. Let them live it and then see how they change their tune. And when they do change their tune, they still remain it until a cure is found. | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/2/2007 10:43:33 PM | Hot Snowman:
I totally agree. I would give my life to help the millions of people with SCI if it would help. I would happily, because knowing that I would live on in the joy of the simplest things, the independance of people. I'll message him, I'm not sure when he's back online, so I'll probably call him. (he's a great friend of mine, helped me tons when we met in rehab)
It's funney that you mention blind and deaf, my mom is the deaf/blind specialist in BC. It's only a mental prison if no one tries to communicate with you, or thinks as many do that because you're blind and deaf you're mentally challanged.
Quadly blows me away by his intellegence, I can't believe how anyone could live as a quad if they're not super intellegent. He knows so much, he tells his caregivers exactley what to do, where to get stuff, it's amazing. He has a great sence of humour too, he's gotten me through many dark spots. His personality just shines. (geez I sound like I'm advertising him!!) | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/3/2007 11:19:59 AM | Codee,
It is just that being both blind and deaf would take away so much of the world for me that it is hard to fathom their existence. I can more fathom the existence of a quad than a b/d. Quads have both sight and sound. What do b/d have left? Touch, smell, and feel. I'd trade all three of those for either sight or sound without a second thought ... even if it meant being a quad as part of the deal. Being born b/d would be better than being made b/d after you can have memory of sights and sounds. If I was made b/d now, I'm not sure I could mentally handle it. I think I would just scream for a good while ... a scream I couldn't hear ... and when I realize I cannot hear my own screams, I would scream even longer. Sorry, that's a nightmare existence to me. | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/4/2007 1:06:10 PM | Hey codeegirl
Ive been in a chair for 13 years. Ive seen friends come and go. It has been a rickety, swaying roller coaster, where the break neck twists make your eyes wobble in their sockets.
What wisdom do I have to share? Broken glass sucks, people who spit piss me off, Fore play really is great hoastoovers ( Homer ) but it doesn't make up for a missing main course. There is always one more hill so never stop pushing dead stops are a **** uuughhh thats a big hunka cheese right there sorry. And I am my worst yet most consistent critic.
Shallow and frivolous people are easy to weed out. When their world gets difficult the dead pan look you end up giving them seems cold, uncaring and unsupportive.
Cool and broader minded people are the ones who slap you on the knee for a smart ass remark, and when you are done laughing at them they follow up with a slug to the shoulder.
Chivalrous people after they bump into you at the bar make room without making a scene.
True friends are worth their weight in gold so be junk yard dog loyal to them even after they break your heart.
And if anyone who is reading this thinks I am an arrogant, superior, labeling son of a **** well....here let me do a weight shift so you can pucker up. This post is for codeegirl only on the worst day of your life could you put this into context. | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/4/2007 7:12:55 PM | Hot Snowman:
Very true, my Mom works mostly with this one man who was born deaf and blind, and I'm glad for him for that. I can't imagine being closed up that way. Seeing the way she's opened his world has amazed me. (At one home he was living in - they wern't allowed to touch him. What else does he have left?? Mom now signs things in his hands like Helen Keller and he understands, she pats him on the shoulder a certian way and he knows its her, and evean got to enjoy a family reunion a while back!!!)I would also choose to be a quad over that, at least they can make their needs known loudly. I can't imagine the vulnerability you'd feel as a DB person.
Mellowcanuck:
Like the name, gotta say that first thing.
It has been a rickety, swaying roller coaster, where the break neck twists make your eyes wobble in their sockets / I totally hear ya on that one, sometimes the bad days are so bad you just want to sleep untill you wake up able bodied again. The bf woke me up from a nap the other day and he said while he was trying to wake me up I mumbled in my sleep "I'm waiting [to get up] untill my other half wakes up." that really hit home, made me kinda sad. I'm very very luckey to have a good core group of friends that will give me a slug on the shoulder for my many smart-ass remarks. They don't treat me like I'm made of glass, and when I fall outta my chair cuz I'm tanked, they'll laugh a while at/with me before putting me back in it. Those are the best. They're also the ones that on a bad day, you can vent about gibble stuff and they understand as best as an able bodied person can. oh and about this Shallow and frivolous people are easy to weed out. When their world gets difficult the dead pan look you end up giving them seems cold, uncaring and unsupportive. I had a guy once coming up the elevator in GM place who shoved his way in. I didn't say anything nasty to him yet. Then he said "man this sure beats using the stairs and tiring your legs out, eh?" I let loose on him then, asking how he could say that when there's people in chairs who are being squished because he decided to be a lazy @$$. When my legs worked, I'd run up and down those stairs if I needed to, one game I went up and down each peroid to check on an auction item I bid on. Some things just make me laugh at the ignorance and laziness of some people!!! | |
|
| |
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/5/2007 12:10:04 PM | Codee,
Let me guess. They didn't touch him because they didn't want their touch to be misunderstood as being inappropriate? Society is WAY too screwed up when it comes to touch. Children are barely touched today. I have even seen PARENTS refrain from doing so in public. WTF???
I am glad your mom is doing what she is doing. Tell her that the next time you talk to her. How did she end up doing it?
Oh, and give Quadly a yell to check this thread. 
As for people not seeing how good they have it, I've done a little work in that regards once or twice. One time, my great aunt had a neighbor that was constantly complaining about getting up and down out of her chair to answer the phone, get food, and so forth. Just bitter self-centeredness that she wasn't as able-bodied as she was before. I can understand that. I would also complain if my world started being restrictive. However, my great aunt said she was this way all the time in all conversations. She just couldn't let it go. Couldn't suck it up and move on. A couple of my aunt's neighbors were there and they also said it was a problem. People were avoiding this woman because she was so hung up on this. I told them I'd take care of it. I had Ms. Goldwheels come for a visit and my aunt invited over the neighbor. I had Ms. Goldwheels arrive "late" so I could witness the supposed complaining. True to form, the neighbor went into her "woe is me" routine and probably with new energy since she had a new audience to tell her troubles. She didn't stop for over a half hour. She did stop at a half hour as that's when Ms. Goldwheels arrived. The neighbor became silent. My aunt, Ms. Goldwheels, and I acted as if nothing had happened. After about a quarter of an hour, the neighbor asked Ms. Goldwheels some normal questions. Polite ones. Ms. Goldwheels answered them and answered them in such a way that brought up how she missed being able to run, walk, or even just stand. "What I would give to just be able to stand once a year. To be able to do that would be such a wonderful gift." That statement was like a dagger in the neighbor's heart. We all acted appropriately with no indication that all this was for the neighbor. From that day forward, the neighbor never again complained. She even enrolled into a seniors exercise program. It is like the old saying goes...
I felt sorry for myself that I had no shoes until I met the man that had no feet.
| |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/5/2007 1:48:19 PM | LOL ripped him a new one eh? I usually let stupid things slide, ( Mellow ) I for one know how easy it is to say something that for the one second you spend reviewing it in your mind, doesn't sound bad at all and leaves you thinking you have half a wit. Oh how bitter my shoes have tasted.
The all time Classic? The one that made my jaw drop? Even I would have gone ballistic! Word for word. After a little useless elevator chat.
" Do you believe in God? "
" No, I don't "
" Well thats why you are still in a wheelchair."
Some old bag said this to a friend of mine....She was so furious she had tears of rage....I didn't know you could get tears of rage. | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/6/2007 12:21:20 PM | Mellowcanuck:
" Do you believe in God? "
" No, I don't "
" Well thats why you are still in a wheelchair."
When I was in GF Strong, I had a GREAT roommatte. We got along so well and pushed each other to keep going and try new things. Then he got released. My new roommatte was 27, physcially older than me. She needed her mom to tuck her in every night at seven. I understand, it's a scary time, no prob. We were talking, and she was in complete denial that she might spend the rest of her life in a chair, no possibility. I had gotten to the point where I was planning for it, but had a little hope things would go better. We talked more, and she was very innocent. I said I'd been through some crap. (didn't specify what kinda crap though.) Later on that night she said "well mabie that's why I'm going to walk and you're not... what we've done in our lives." I was so shocked. I had to laugh at the absurdaty. I hate to say it, but next time i saw her I grinned evily inside me when I was talking about how I had a little movement in my right leg/ankle, and she said she had nothing. She's a complete, while I'm incomplete. I feel horrible for being a bit happy in a mean sort of way because of that, but that comment really hurt.
Hot Snowman:
I did call quadly, he's on it, he's looking stuff up as we speak. He just got the net again, he moved, so he's got a lot to catch up on. I love the fact that you and Ms. Goldwheels did that for the neighbour in the way you did. I say did that for the neighbour because now instead of sitting at home surrounded in bitternes she's out enjoying the use of her body, and probably feeling a HELL of a lot better!! Good thinking on ya!!!!
I totally agree with you on the touch thing. Society is so against touch, when it's such a basic need. Babies NEED to be cuddled to develop 'normally.' I think that's why we love our animals so much, we are free to show our affection in physcial ways and it's not 'taboo.' I remember as a kid cuddling with my grandpa on the couch for our afternoon naps, I was mabie eight. Now people would look at that as there's something wrong. I remember feeling so safe and loved, and it solidified the bond him and me have to this day. I feel bad for the kids who arn't cuddled. Society has become paranoid. (for good reason, but still... the good parents/grandparents etc suffer because of the bad ones.) | |
|
| friends in wheelchairs - is the extra work worth it??
Posted: 1/6/2007 12:51:49 PM | >> I feel horrible for being a bit happy in a mean sort of way
It's ok to think a mean thought now and then. Just as long as you get past it.
My disability is minor compared to yours, but I have faced the possibility that I may never walk unaided (cane or crutches) again. I have decided, it's not that big a deal. I am so much more than a pair of legs--and so are you. | |
|
Home
login 
