Mobility Devices Provide Freedom
Rudy Yanuck
"I'm too young." Or "It will make me look
disabled." Or "I'm not THAT disabled." These are some of the
excuses I have given when various assistive mobility devices (AMDs) have been
offered, or suggested to me. Do any of these excuses sound familiar? If so,
then you and I have something in common.
Multiple sclerosis has affected me nearly my entire life
even though my own diagnosis didn’t come until the age of 27. My father and
three of my aunts all had MS. I
was only 12 when my father began using an electric scooter to get around outside
of the house. His model was cumbersome, heavy, and hard to assemble. I must admit it was a hassle for my
mother and me to unload the scooter from the car, assemble, then disassemble
and reload it every time we went somewhere. Not for my father though, who would
wait in the front seat.
Fortunately, technology has made great strides since then for
those of us with MS. Over the last 23 years, I have experimented with many AMDs.
I found some, such as walkers and three or four pronged canes, actually made me
unstable, hindering my mobility. While others, such as Lofstrand crutches
(forearm crutches) and ankle foot orthotics (AFOs) help me tremendously with
issues of balance and stability as, well as foot drop and ankle rolling.
As a cocky, young, physician, I first resisted using a
scooter. However, I soon found
traversing the long hallways at the hospital far too daunting. I quickly changed
my tune and happily accepted the first of many scooters to come. With the newer
models being much easier to manage, I promised myself I would not allow the
scooter to become a burden for my family, as it had been for me during my teen
years. I decided to make loading and unloading the scooter my responsibility,
for as long as I am able.
At that point, I was still walking on my own my home and in
the office, but I found that the scooter reintroduced me to many things I had
taken for granted in my pre-MS life. I rediscovered activities that I had not even
realized I was avoiding. I started going shopping, to the mall, to the park,
and on "walks" with my family again. I became part of their lives once more.
The scooter was, and still is, very freeing. Now days, the
scooter is my main form of transportation around my home and neighborhood. I
frequently, if not daily, scooter to grocery stores, restaurants, the library,
and, in the summer, to the pool to swim two or three times a day. Over the
years, I generally have had two or three of my children with me, standing,
sitting, or hanging off the scooter as I drove by. I became known in the
neighborhood as the scooter dad with those happy kids. Their riding positions
became a rite of passage. Starting as infants, they sat on my lap. As toddlers,
they stood or sat in front of me. Finally, by the age of six or seven, they
stood behind me holding onto the seatback for dear life.
Scooters are not the only AMDs to have a tremendous impact
on helping me remain independent.
A little over 10 years ago while driving, my oldest daughter caught me
grabbing the hem of my shorts to lift my leg, moving my foot from the
accelerator to the break pedal. The look of horror on her face informed me it
was time to make a serious change. I had a digital accelerator ring (DAR) hand
control system installed in my car. The DAR has been a godsend and has enabled
me to continue driving, keeping me from being housebound and maintaining my
independence.
I can't tell you the number of new friends I have made just
by cruising around on my scooter, or from people asking me about the ring on
top of my steering wheel. People generally want you to succeed and love
engaging in conversation. As a matter of fact, I recently went on a Caribbean
cruise with my scooter and became somewhat of a rock star by the end of the
trip, I’m told.
However, a word of advice to new scooter warriors: never
leave home without a fully charged battery, charger, and cell phone. You don't want
to run out of juice or those new friends of yours will be pushing you and your
scooter home.
Rudy would love to
hear about the trials and triumphs of your MS journey to share in his talks and
blog. He believes, together, we inspire and empower each other. To have Rudy speak at your local chapter, business, or organization
contact him via email at rryanuck@gmail.com or his blog www.rudysmsblog.blogspot.com
for booking information.
