Fiercely Independent Pam

Category: Accessibility

  • Infection Invaders: Trying to Stay Together In Light of Many Different Infections!

    So, I’ve been a little trapped here at the hospital. Faced with a large kidney stone, Picc line infection, as well as a pretty bad UTI, I’ve haven’t been feeling the best. I will need several weeks of IV antibiotics at home and hopefully home tomorrow after a new picc line and clear cultures.

    I really hoped to avoid the chaos of all of this, mostly the IV antibiotics because they are both expensive over time and require a lot of attention. Hopefully they will come in the form of the “squeeze ball” and not a pump. Either way in creates a lot of medical trash and organization in dealing with various infections.

    Next, is to figure out how to keep practicing getting up and using my strength to make sure I am still able to get up and down from the toilet and such. This was the final straw why I ended up coming to the hospital, I was unable to get off the toilet and needed lift assistance, well this, and the major infections.

    Finally, I have to figure out what is next with the kidney stone. Apparently, I will have to have it “blasted” to get rid of it, but I was told that shouldn’t be a big deal.

    My biggest focus right now is getting up and being strong enough to get home, as I am feeling the need to get home and organized- I ordered a bunch of stuff, including my Zeen, and want to try it all out!

    Looking through the week, I am excited to have lunch with a friend and then an awesome facial scheduled for my niece’s birthday at the end of the week. I tried to cancel everything else going on in order to organize myself.

  • Faith and a Four Legged Friend…

    Faith is believing that what is meant to happen, will happen. I believe in some things so much, that they are true. This is with people, events, and more. Faith can be as big as a warm embrace or as tiny as a single mustard seed and still work out. It’s knowing that certain things have happened, or even will happen. I am full of faith.

    I live my faith as a Catholic. I pray for Mary to intercede for me and clear the clutter in my mind and world. I utilize powerful tools like the Rosary and receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. These streghtn my faith and beliefs, as well as hopefully guiding others to a deeper faith.

    Faith is a funny thing, because on dark days or moment your faith in something or someone can falter causing you to lose faith. Losing faith is a scary thing. I have been through many dark times, where I questioned my faith and felt like I truly “lost it.” A rememdy I have found is my deep devotion to Mary, under the title of “Undoer of Knots.” The simple image of Mother Mary holding a ribbon (symbolic of our life) with both hands, with one side of the ribbon being riddled with knots and the other (after she took care of the ribbon) being smooth and beautiful strikes me every time. I ask Mary to undo the knots of my life and know that through her intercession to the Most Holy Trinity, my life will be smoother and more beautiful.

    I wanted to write about faith because of the events of yesterday. It was a big day! I traveled 2 1/2 hours each way inland to a special place. It was my interview for PAALS, the organization that I am hopefully going to receive my service dog from. It was my first time visiting their facility and I couldn’t be more impressed with what they accomplish.

    After a long and detailed interview, I was treated to interacting with a service dog in training, aptly named, Faith. She was warm, friendly, and full of good dog slobber and simply amazing! I forgot how much I loved kisses from a big slobbering dog! She quickly attended to the task at hand and helped me look good when fumbled through the cues. Then, she quickly and excitedly picked up a pill bottle I “dropped” as well as a tv remote. Both objects were placed directly in my hand. I could tell she loved working for working sake, but the praise of “YES!” and the treat didn’t hurt either! We then walked a short distance and she did great with my walker (despite having not worked with a walker before). She definitely earned a gold star from this teacher.

    It was not until I landed back in the car that the full impact of Faith’s name hit me… I immediately thought of a small decoration that sits in my bathroom featuring Woodstock planting a garden. It simply says, “Faith is for the things that take a while!” I believe this is exactly what this process is teaching me. When I applied to PAALS, I knew the process was going to be long but oh so worth it! I just need to have faith in the process and the end result.

    I won’t bore you with the nitty gritty details that I learned about the process, but there are several more steps to complete before I get to share my bed with a wet -nosed fabulous creature! There will be A LOT of fundraising opportunities and I will be asking for your help in this regard, but I’m not putting the cart before the horse!

    Oh and faith sometimes means rewarding yourself with something special. The trip inland included a stop at the famous Buc-ee’s. I saw these amazing pajamas and treated myself to them to commemorate the amazing day! If you have never stopped at Buc-ee’s before, be prepared to be overwhelmed!

    Christmas/ Dog PJ’s found and bought at Buc-ee’s
    Mary Undoer of Knots

  • Accessibility Rocks: Being a Tourist in Your Own Town!

    I’m catching up after an amazing weekend with a friend from out of town. There is nothing that can do as much good as spending time with a friend- genuine, quality time listening to each other, sharing stories over coffee and yummy food. This is true soul food. The only thing that is better than friend time, is baking in the glory of the sun at the ocean. And when you combine the friendship and ocean, something magical happens- especially if accessibility needs are met.

    One of my favorite things to do is to play tourist in my own town. Living in a tourist destination makes this super easy to do. Myrtle Beach is pretty accessible, but it can still be difficult to navigate in a wheelchair at times. This past weekend, we cruised around town and took in the sites of old Myrtle Beach as well as enjoying some quality meals. We rode the giant SkyWheel, took the tourist pictures (and bought them), and even did some surf shop shopping. The greatest accomplishment of this past weekend, was making it to the ocean. Not just looking at the incredible views that the Atlantic Ocean gives us, but getting down on the firm sand and feeling the warm of the sun-kissed sand in between my toes.

    This feat was accomplished because we were able to “rent” a beach wheelchair at the awesome state park. The beach wheelchair has giant balloon tires that allow it to move smoothly over the dunes and sand. The park also rents power beach wheelchairs during the season. These rentals are free but on a first come, first serve basis. I look forward to trying out the power beach wheelchair come Spring.

    Accessibility is about making things fair for everyone. Universal design helps everyone. The Mobi mat that covered the sand over the dunes- parents with wagons or strollers benefit using these too. The ramp to get to the beach access without steps helps the senior citizens who want to see the ocean as well.

    It’s beyond time to make universal design the norm. Accessibility should not be the outlier in a park. Why can’t all dune cross-overs have a mobi mat and not stairs? It’s not a budget issue, as building stairs is an expensive process too. Accessibility shouldn’t cost anything extra for the user who requires it. That is, in this example, the beach wheelchairs are free for use and included in the admission/parking cost. Being disabled is expensive enough and lonely enough, we shouldn’t have to pay extra or put our loved ones out to be able to access places.

    Whenever I have someone in town or helping me navigate the world through my disability, I realize it’s an opportunity to demonstrate the world from my view. That is, for example, what it feels like to have to use the ramp in the back of the building instead of the front door. Or to have someone talk to you without making eye contact or to be stared at. It’s a chance to see how people do not move out of the way when you are traveling in a wheelchair or how the stupid end-cap displays in a store are a giant nuisance. It’s a lightbulb moment that is otherwise lost.