wheelchair friendly Gettysburg MS Walk 2011

Wheelchair accessible is subjective. Wheelchair friendly – now, that is embraceable.

MS Walks (Walk MS) are the signature fundraising events for National Multiple Sclerosis Society in the US.

Unfortunately the word ‘walk’ and Multiple Sclerosis do not exactly associate. As a MS spouse caregiver of 21 years understanding marketing gurus is beyond my credentials. On the other hand appreciating the success of that fundraising is hard to deny. The millions and millions and millions of dollars raised benefits both research and those living with MS. Our wheelchair accessible van benefits from the financial assistance program National MS Society.

Like all bigger issues it eventually boils down to a moment in time, a few hours one Sunday a year when living with MS is not the exception but the reason people gather together.

MS Walk 2011 Gettysburg

The Gettysburg MS Walk was certifiably wheelchair friendly!  No curb cuts, no cracked and uneven sidewalks, no significant incline or decline to terrain. More than just an awareness of accessibility but an ‘understanding’ defined the event, a casual and social 1 mile lap through the park. If you wanted more exercise go take as many laps as you want. Common sense is such a treat.

Wheelchair friendly may even be an understatement. Wheelchair welcoming might be better. “Abe” (Jim Getty) could have been just a photo op, but no he took the time to chat with Patti as Abe Lincoln. Everything from parking to registration through waiting for the Walk to start to snacks and socializing afterwards was personally so friendly and welcoming.

At the core of it all is Patti’s Pride a team of family and friends that rallies around Patti. Year after year whether beating fundraising goals or showing up to push and walk – they rock!

Improving on a formula for success goes too often unheralded. The Gettysburg MS Walk coordinators, committee and volunteers, IMHO, simply created a ‘better’ MS Walk model - they may have re-invented the MS Walk.

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer 

web site: caregivinglyyours.com 

videos: www.youtube.com/daddyleer 

MS Walk and Roll - Gettysburg

There is fundraising and then there is FUNraising. For a couple hours, one Sunday a year it’s all about people living with Multiple Sclerosis.

Face-to-Face with other people living with MS and those who give a damn is even cooler than Facebook.

90 seconds of our last 5 years of National MS Society – Central Pennsylvania Chapter MS Walks kind of gives you the picture.

Of course, symptoms “R” MS and this year we are heading to the more wheelchair friendly Gettysburg MS Walk and Roll . 

It’s getting harder for Patti to sit upright in her wheelchair for any length of time and frankly less than fun to be jostled over cracked sidewalks, up and down curb cuts from hell, and frequently steep terrain.

MS symptoms of fatigue and incontinence also mean you have to maximize time. A mile loop over a paved walking path vs 4 miles, that’s as MS friendly as it gets.

Entertainment, snacks, re-enactors, and “Abe” well … that’s the FUNraising part of it all.

You are more than welcome to support and/or join our team, Patti’s Pride.   


Of course, Gettysburg is and will always be more than anyone person who ever walks or rolls there. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, later in April there will be a reenactment of Union and Confederate troops advancing into town, skirmishes, living history encampments, and an hour long cannonade of 150 cannon shots to salute the brave men and women who fought in the American Civil War. Invasion of Pennsylvania – Gettysburg

However, I realize this blog is read far and wide so for your convenience here are links to find similar events near you MS Walk (USA), MS Walk (Canada), MS Wheel and Walk (UK), MS Walk & Fun Run (Australia), God Bless the Irish! They have a “muddy marvelous” MS Muck n Splash, India, Iran and more … Raising MS awareness with art, food and sport 

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer 

web site: caregivinglyyours.com 

videos: www.youtube.com/daddyleer 

wheelchair accessible Gettysburg

   Wheelchair accessibility certainly met some peculiar challenges at Gettysburg.

   Why are “low emission” parking spaces closer than over half the handicapped parking spaces to the Visitors Center entrance? Are “fuel efficient” cars embarrassed to park among regular cars? 

   Automatic doors to the visitor center are reminiscent of a prank. Rolling up to double doors the “automatic door” button is located on the door jam of the right door; however pushing the button opens the door on the left. A person in a wheelchair needs to turn and scoot to their left then right through the automatic door before it closes. Why doesn’t the button simply open the door in front of you or both?

   We tried querying ol’ Abe but Patti got to laughing too hard after running over his foot with her wheelchair.

   Bottom line is that outside of the above weirdness the miles of paved trails and roads of Gettysburg Battlefield were absolutely perfect for rollin’ around on a 64°F (17.8°C) day in November.

   Gettysburg has been part of my life even when the cannons were taller than me.

   Historic Gettysburg was tempting for our growing appetites, however historic and accessible requires advance work to be reliably fun. Instead we rolled back to our van and headed to the food court at The Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg. You can always rely on malls.

   With everything decked out for holiday shopping we sat around a Christmas Tree and had dinner with Auntie Anne. J With its roots in Pennsylvania farm markets I have to take my hat off to the pretzel logic of cinnamon sugar pretzel nuggets and pretzel dogs (pretzel wrapped around hot dogs). Considering Patti’s Multiple Sclerosis symptoms that affect her physically feeding herself it was effortless, mess less and that’s a treat.

   Watching the sun set on the field of Pickett’s Charge, where over 8,000 American casualties 

consecrated this one field with their blood on July 3, 1863, eternity echoes “never forget what they did here … that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer 

web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer 
musings: patrick ponders

sunflower fields forever

Sunday I drove pass acres upon acres of sunflowers being farmed along US Rt 15, sunflowers blanketed farm land on both sides of the road about a mile north of the Rt 30 interchange just north of Gettysburg, PA. 

              

I ran out of adjectives so I rounded everyone up for an outing Monday evening.

Yes, stopping on the shoulder of a 65 mph road to go wandering around some farmer’s fields is not the smartest idea, but then again I have done dumber things.

Patti was not impressed and chose to stay in the van. Pushing a wheelchair through a sunflower farm would not only have been an ultimate challenge but left some fascinating tracks for the farm workers to figure out.

                      

All in all it was kind of a yellow version of the poppy fields from Wizard of Oz.

                  

Personally I never even knew there was such a thing as sunflower farming. Just proves that some outings can be educational for all.              

Caregivingly Yours, J Patrick Leer 

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tags: caregiving, carer, Multiple Sclerosis, sunflowers, farming, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania