But I’m not complainin’!  Drew’s new wheelchair was delivered yesterday and Drew took it for a test drive.  He did remarkably well and took to it like a fish to water.  The wheelchair has about a dozen accessories, gadgets, buttons, and tricks that it’s going to take me a lot of getting used to as I familiarize myself with all its components.  Bob, the wheelchair guy, wasn’t sympathetic about my new-vehicle-anxiety and told me about horror stories including one mother whose arm was dislocated by a wheelchair, about another wheelchair whose components somehow managed to twist incorrectly and smash through the frame, and the user manual spoke of people getting caught between the moving parts!!!

Bob is a great guy though and I give him and his colleagues big kudos for making this happen for us.  Apparently, our claims were denied a couple of times and a scathing letter was returned to the denier who later overturned their initial denial.  Must have been some letter!

So, with no ramp to get the wheelchair out of the house, Drew is only able to practice wheeling around in the chair in about a 15-foot track in our hallway.  Daddy thinks he’s coming back from work on Tuesday, but he’s sorely mistaken…he’ll be put right back to work on building a ramp! Now, if I can only get the vehicle transport figured out!

This wheelchair will be a very useful and important tool in Drew’s life.  And, mine.  Lord knows how difficult it has become carrying Drew around.  Try carrying around a large sack of potatoes all day and you’ll know what I’m talking about.  However, that may not be a fair comparison because potatoes don’t cuddle and give you kisses which makes the sore, stiff arm worth it!

I do admit to fleeting moments of questioning my own excitement about having the chair. I mean, it’s no parent’s dream for their children to rely on assistance for such inalienable rights such as walking.  It’s about like you being excited about having a kidney stone, don’t you think?  However, I quickly recover after I consider how lucky Drew is and how lucky I am to have him.  He’s perfectly capable of doing anything – even getting from point A to point B as we all know.  The wheelchair, for Drew, is a luxury like Segways are for walking people.  We don’t really need them, but they get us around faster. 

And, Drew is absolutely delighted to be able to get in and out of the chair on his own.  In fact, he absolutely refuses to let me just pull him out of their chair.  Oh no, he has to lower the seat all the way to the ground and step out on his own.  So funny!