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Today my boyfriend and I hit the Red Cross Canada to borrow a wheelchair and a walker. The Red Cross has a program where you can borrow medical equipment for extended periods of time, as long as you have a written request from a medical profession. I now have in my possession a basic manual wheelchair and a walker with front wheels.

I'm happy! This is going to improve my life in some ways. I do walk, but with much pain and difficulty. I can handle standing and walking on my canes for short durations. I use my canes for things like medical appointments, errands, social outings, etc., and it works out fine. But there have been times when my partner or I have said, "Gee, it's a shame we don't have a wheelchair right now, because I/you could keep going without pain and we wouldn't have to stop doing what we're doing." Activities like walking, festivals, shopping, or community celebrations are often cut short because I'm in so much pain from walking and standing that we have to go home early. Having me in the wheelchair would mean we could enjoy ourselves as long as we wanted to, and I wouldn't have to pay the price afterwards by suffering.

A wheelchair would also be good for bad days when I need help getting somewhere. Let's say I really need to get to my doctor's office, but I'm in too much pain to walk. My partner can put me in the chair and push me there, as it's a short walk from our apartment. The walker will help for days when I'm able to walk but walking is very painful. I imagine I'll be using inside the house and around the neighborhood when I'm running errands.

When I knew it was time to start using two canes and a walker, I was a bit blue for a while. It mean I was losing yet more mobility and functioning. It took me a while to get used to the new state of affairs. But now I'm just happy to have all this equipment on hand, available for when I need it. We took the wheelchair for a test drive today, and it was incredible, getting from point A to point B without any pain or struggle.

It got me wishing my apartment was accessible so I could get a battery-operated wheelchair. Unfortunately, accessible housing doesn't jive with me. Living in an apartment complex or co-op does not sound appealing to me. I'm a moderately noisesome gal who throw lively parties where people do, ahem, rather unconventional things. I'd be kicked out of an accessible co-op within a month. Having an accessible home is important, but far more important to me is a home where I can LIVE and be myself. If I have to haul my ass up two flights up stairs to do that, so be it.

I tell you, though, when I'm through with my web design program and (hopefully) go up one or two income brackets, I do intend to look for an accessible house, and then Vancourites better watch their toes, because Hell on Wheels is on the loose!

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