Reply #23: I've had pals in wheelchairs and see it first hand [View All]

[symbolman]

once in Hawaii years ago I drove a lady around in a motorized wheelchair (van, had no license figured they wouldn't pull me over) and you don't even think about going to the BEACH.. In california I've seen specialised beach wheelchairs that they have for folks that show up in their wheelchair and want to hit the water, big wheels, etc..

I'm sorry to hear that you're going through this shit my friend.

Someone should invent a portable ramp that can unfold and fit most stairs that a wheelchair person could stow on their chair, I mean for those simple two step restrictions you come across all the time, might be a big business..

So that same lady I drove around went to the docks to meet a friend on a cruise, they had a bunch of people in wheelchairs ready to go on a cruise and NO WAY TO GET THEM ON THE SHIP.

I couldn't believe it.. we finally had to take everyone to the part of the dock & ship where they loaded supplies into the side of the boat and me and another guy physically handed wheelchairs with people in them into the ship, BUT there was like a 50 foot drop and two to three foot space between the ship and that loading dock..

I will never forget the looks on those people's faces as we handed them over to the guys on the ship.. one false move and it was OVER for them - big old battery wheelchair types, wieghed a ton.

They all cruised and then we met them when they came back - had to do the same routine all over again, everyone was safe, and as a thank you they all decided to do a "Wheelchair Squaredance" which is the damndest thing I had ever seen in my life, right there on the big old dock.. I was watching from the ship's bow as they "dosydoed" etc

It was amazing, very cool.

I'm certainly not as bad off as you my friend but my back is going nice and steady, constant shrieking pain each morning as my wife peels me out of bed, then it takes me an hour with pain meds in me to "uncurl" and start to feel normal again..

So I know the pain, but it's nothing compared to being stuck in that damn chair. One of my pals in Alaska worked in a glass company and one day a big sheet of glass fell over and folded him in half so he was in a wheelchair for the rest of his life - he OWNED the company after that, had lots of money, but I know for a fact he would have traded all that money for one day of freedom from that damn chair.

Then you also get digestion problems, etc - I worked in a VA so I know pretty much what it all entails, and it ain't FUN.

But at least you have a good sense of humor, can obviously play guitar well enough to make money at it, and are one hell of a cartoonist :) That's more than a lot of people have..

I always imagined you as being taller :)

We love ya man - let's hope if the Jail Mopaul for treason goes through that the jail has NO Wheelchair access :)