 |
 |
Dear Ruth, You are wrong about the wheel chair level and right to have used one. >> . . . before I hit the wheel chair level, But time is running out and I used a wheel chair for the first time (except for flying) to attend a concert. I decided unless I was willing to be a hermit, I was going to have to ask for help. It was hard to have someone push me around, but safe from freezing in a crowd of people! Having had PD for only nine years, it seems premature to be in a wheel chair yet. Has anyone out there gotten to that stage so early?<< Maybe I'm 'wrong' but I have never heard a doctor mention the 'wheel chair level' of PD. Getting into the 'the chair' doesn't mean you won't get out of it. The important thing is that you went to that concert. Socializing and doing the things you want to do are way more important than the moderate embarassment you experienced being pushed around. A fair number of PWPs who came to Washington to advocate 'used' wheel chairs. Some days they were pushed other days they did the pushing and some days they left the chair at the hotel because they didn't need it. It's sad to think of so many people who stay at home alone or watching TV because they don't want to be seen walking with a cane or walking stick or being wheeled about in a crowd. If you are determined to avoid staying in a wheel chair keep up your exercise and balance training. -Ken Aidekman Visit the Parkinson's Unity Walk website: www.parkinsonwalk.org Fund the Research. Find the Cure.