Wheels

Onto week two of 6 year old in a full leg cast life. And it gets even more exciting. Yesterday Luc's big splint was removed and a sleek new glow-in-the-dark cast replaced it. Same length but a whole lot lighter. Which was nice for both of us. Today the little man gets his walker, a mere 2 weeks after finishing his first triathlon.

Today I have to what I do not want to do. I have to obtain a handicapped parking hang tag for the car. Oh no, not for me, this is for my parents while we are in Germany. Mind you we do have a valid reason for a hang tag. The kid is in a wheelchair.

Day one of Luc being in a wheelchair I pulled into Wegman's. I parked in a non handicapped spot and it took me a few minutes to get him out of my SUV and into the chair. Just as I did right in front of me was a woman in a van. She had a hang tag. She literally jumped from her seat, landing on 2 feet on the ground. We looked at one another. I shook my head.

"You need yourself a hang tag" she told me like she had discovered some great new secret.

Please don't take me the wrong way, but I need no hang tag. Why? I am a healthy triathete and I am not in need of one. From the looks of things, she didn't need one either.

But how about the 87 year old man who now has to park far because this young whipper snapper took a closer spot. That's what infuriates me. Leave the hang tags for the people who really need them, walk the 10 extra feet. I proudly say that it has not affected us at all to live without the hang tag. We are happy to do so.

The most wheelchair friendly place on earth that I have found.... Cracker Barrel. While they don't have automatic doors it is easy to pull open and slide your chair through without causing damage. Through their shop and restaurant there is plenty of navigational room.

Ben and Jerry's wasn't bad but we had to ask for a ramp. And I decided not to ask and just make the giant step with the chair.

My favorite experience is the woman who wanted my parking spot. She sharked and waited. She didn't see I had a wheelchair. So after she began to beep her horn, I came around the side of the car with the wheelchair and asked her if I could help her with something. She declined and found herself another spot.

People are pretty interesting to observe when they see a kid on wheels. They either ask what happened or instruct their snobby kids to stay away from the handicapped boy.

As a pediatric nurse I know there are many kids in our community who live on wheels. Luckily we are only on wheels for a few weeks. These kids have wheels for their life, and this is the kind of stuff they deal with on a daily basis. At times I wonder if they feel like a circus attraction.

Nonetheless it's given Luc some perspective on how to handle himself in these situations. He's learning that there is so much more than meets the eye. For yes, he has a snazzy white cast. But what you don't know is that it glows in the dark. Something you wouldn't learn if you turn your head from the boy on wheels.

:-) Mary Eggers