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Wheelchair Bliss
Written by Chloe on Friday, December 19, 2008
Yesterday, I had my best wheelchair event thus far. It was one of those all too rare transcendent experiences showing that there is more to life than the mundane.
Chloe in her chair
The beginnings of this were in Spring, when I took advantage of the early discount for season tickets to the symphony series. I had little clue how different my life would be just a few months thence.
The first concert was in October. I was thinking about going in leg braces, but I had recalled that we had the same seats as last year, front row of the mezzanine, and it seemed like things might be a bit precarious. I decided on just a forearm crutch.
After we had sat down, got comfortable, and checked the program, we were both looking around a bit. Our eyes met. My partner said "Yes, next time, let’s do it". She was referring to the wheelchair spots down near the front. There was no need to be explicit. We both knew what we had seen and what we were thinking.
After the concert we stayed seated a while to avoid the crowds and catch the elevator. Other people with mobility impairments were doing the same. I looked at the low railing in front of us, below knee height, precarious indeed. I started imagining that I had come in leg braces, lost my balance, fallen over the low rail, broken my back, become paraplegic… The irony was so wonderful that I burst out laughing. My partner looked at me. I explained why I was laughing. I don’t think she thought it was quite as funny as I did; it took me a while to stop laughing.
A few days later I wheeled into the ticket office to make the exchange for wheelchair seating during the rest of the season. I liked it that my tickets had "wheelchair" printed right on them. It turned out that the wheelchair tickets were a little cheaper, so there was a refund enough for additional tickets to another event. The opera house has box seating available, so we thought that would be good for me to go in KAFOs. I wouldn’t have to try to get past people, or vice versa, and there would be plenty of room for the crutches.
It wasn’t my first time to an opera in leg braces, but the previous time was at a different opera house. The box seats did indeed work out extremely well.
Yesterday, the long awaited day had arrived; my first time to a concert in a wheelchair. I was very excited.
There are four wheelchair spots on each side of the concert hall. I was the only person in a wheelchair on our side. It made me feel very conspicuous, as if I was on display; a bit uncomfortable. I told my partner what I was feeling. She said "Well, you ARE conspicuous". ("Ha ha, thanks dear!"). I focused on my legs, making sure no muscles were tensed. Then I focused on my back, which was hurting significantly more than usual. I like it hurting; it feels right. I had taken a fall while skiing a few days earlier, and landed directly on my back.
As the first bars of Mozart’s Requiem filled the concert hall, tears started to well up. I tried to blink them away, but they kept coming and started to roll down my cheeks. No, I wasn’t sad about anything… I closed my eyes… I had gone to that timeless place… of bliss… where I had everything I needed for all eternity:
My loving partner by my side…
Mozart’s Requiem…
And my wheelchair…
Tags: Crutches, Impairments, KAFOs, Leg Braces, Paraplegic, Wheelchair
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