accessible rain

Weather can amplify dependency especially if someone is like Patti, non-ambulatory and not only wheelchair dependent but dependent on others to push her and get her in an out of foul weather.

Erroneous weather forecasts have a completely different impact on people like us ‘living accessibly’ than on our umbrella toting totally able bodied fellow citizens.

When the down pouring waters from the remnants of Hurricane Issac met the Festival of Sparklingly Waters (Kipona) on City Island in the Susquehanna River it was a good time for ducks not so great for people.

Arriving early Labor Day morning we sat through several down pours waiting for the weather to beak listening to an audio book (weather forecast remained “cloudy” in spite of downpours).

You may notice the teepee through the windshield of the photo, Patti already in her water proof wheelchair lap blanket, a reflection of me taking the picture in the rear view mirror and the sheer boredom captured on Patti’s face.

While I was more than up for some Gene Kelly style dancing in the rain, I let Patti make the call. While we have the clothing to get waterproof the bigger question is will the outing be fun for her.

She opted to head for a nice dry noon matinee of the stop-motion animated comedy horror “ParaNorman”.  Let’s face it, pilgrim zombies have mobility challenges and face stigmas that made our morning seem easy. IMHO freakishly fun even for big kids like us.

Yeah weather and all that can be a pain in the butt for anybody’s plans but when a woman with severe multiple sclerosis is being pushed around in her wheelchair by a lung cancer survivor let’s face it, if the outing ends with laughter – it’s a good outing.

by Patrick Leer

BLOGS:

Caregivingly Yours, MS Caregiver @ http://caregivinglyyours.blogspot.com/

My Lung Cancer Odyssey @ http://lung-cancer-survivor.blogspot.com/

multiple sclerosis caregiving