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July 4th
Written by Chloe on Saturday, July 4, 2009
I live in the USA and am a citizen thereof; so it’s no surprise that I celebrate July 4th. But the meanings seem to keep piling on as the years pass, and much of it has to do with BIID.
It started in England when I was five or six years old. I had an American friend called Amanda. Her mother used to drive me home from school sometimes; otherwise I would have to walk. Amanda told me a lot about this intriguing faraway exotic place that she was from. It became even more interesting after I had figured out that so many people wore leg braces there (You Like Tomato). I had this image of myself as a grown up: I would be in the USA, and I would be wearing leg braces.
Throughout my childhood I would insist on celebrating July 4th, with fireworks. To be honest I got it mixed up with July 14th, so I celebrated both dates just in case. I suppose my parents probably thought I was a bit eccentric. They never knew about the leg brace idea though.
I moved to the USA when I was twenty four, and knew within days that I was not going back. There were not as many people wearing leg braces as I had formerly supposed, but I liked it here anyway.
My partner and I celebrate an anniversary on July 4th. She had invited me to dinner at her place for the first time. It was our fourth date. After dinner we exchanged our engagement/commitment rings that we had already picked out on our third date, and that we still wear. It was raining on July 4th that year, but we watched out of the window as people set off fireworks in the street.
This year, July 4th is also the first anniversary of my ever using a wheelchair in public. That was just a few months after I had told Michael First that there was no way I would ever use a wheelchair in public. Things change. Now it seems perfectly normal to me. Yes, this is cause to celebrate.
I have arrived. Here I am; and I have my leg braces. Happy July 4th indeed!
Umm, yes, I do actually know someone who lost their hand in a firework accident…
Tags: BIID, Leg Braces, Wheelchair
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3 Comments
It’s been good after being away from any form of internet access for the last month or so to get caught up on what’s been going on. Sure, nothing monumental has happened, but it’s brought me a lot of comfort to know that while I’ve been dealing with my BIID demons by myself, I’m not truely alone. I’ve been “lurking” (I prefer to think of myself as a passive participant) on the site for about 6 months now, and just wanted to thank everyone for sharing their lives in their own way to help the rest of us who can’t quite bring themselves to do the same.
3 On 4 July, 2009, Lane said:
So many congratulations are in order here. I’m glad to have been witness to the part of your journey you’ve shared with us on TA.
We always celebrate Bastille Day. It is one of our greatest dreams to live and work in France. I don’t expect anyone to understand this, but the frustration of not being able to make the move actually exceeds my BIID frustration because an elective SCI is one thing, but _surely_ there must be a way to do something as common as moving to another country, right?
We’ll still be grilling and watching the fireworks tomorrow, too. Enjoy your holiday and other celebrations, Chloe, partner, and Amanda(wherever you are)!!
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1 On 4 July, 2009, Ronald said:
Sort of your own personal independence day, huh?