I Stand Corrected

In a previous post, I remarked how my mother's multiple sclerosis has left her "severely debilitated." After my visit to her MS daycare center last week, I'd like to strike that and change it to "physically inconvenienced."

Upon arrival I was faced with an army of citizens outfitted in all manners of vehicles and apparatus to help them with their mobility. It was both humbling and inspiring. One attendee even had a very friendly canine companion to help with his daily tasks.

On this day, my mother decided to forgo using her wheelchair and instead brought her nifty little walker thingie you can see at the left. The other program participants both lauded and chided her for FINALLY getting out of the chair. Unlike many of the others, she still can walk...albeit tenuously.

I heard a tinge of jealousy in several of these comments, since my mother is nowhere near as "severely debilitated" as some of the people she rubs elbows with at this program.

Eating lunch together was an extraordinary experience. I felt guilty that I had happened to pack an お弁当 (Japanese boxed lunch), complete with chopsticks. I tried to hide my dexterity as I watched many of the patients from the corner of my eye struggle with their trembling hands to bring their sandwiches to their mouths.

This day was as emotionally challenging as I had anticipated, and it brought up many issues for me. The foremost include: What are our prejudices toward people with physical disabilities? How do we look past the shaking limbs and slurred speech to really see the person inside? Can we ever know how frustrating it is to live in a body that's given up, all the while having the same mental capacities that torture us with memories of better days?