Today did not start out very well, but it ended with a BIG BANG! I drove my van for the first time in almost two years! It felt GREAT! We still have a few kinks to work out like getting a new remote control, and figuring out a way to get the key in and out of the ignition without dropping it; and if I do drop it, how will I retrieve it?
Let me tell you how my day started and went up to about 6:00 pm. First of all, my regular day attendant who has been driving me everywhere until her shift ends at 2:00 pm, called in at about 7:30 am with a bad back and could not hardly move! I hope she is okay because she has not answered repeated calls.
She was supposed to take me to acupuncture at 1:00 pm, and that never happened. The nurse who came to change my wound dressing came early and was gracious enough to help get me in my chair. Thank you, Susan!
I spent some time finishing my first post today on truth. I had started it last night and did not get it completed. I worked on it between a long, very productive meeting with my nurse from the new home health agency which started TODAY, and phone calls to and from her and her co-worker who were trying to line up a person to get me out of bed tomorrow and then off to Worthington on Wednesday. Wednesday night I will be the featured speaker at the Annual Awards Banquet and give out our annual scholarship from the Mike Patrick and Coach Milt Osterberg Memorial Scholarship. (By the way, you can learn more about it, and contribute a tax-deductible donation by clicking here. It is still not too late to get your name on the plaque.)
Then, Thursday I speak at a small conference for a senior group from the Worthington ISD 518 Community Education called Spring Fling. Remember, for most of the day, I did not have a driver to get me to these and two other events! My day was not looking good.
Tomorrow morning I have a 10:00 am wound clinic appointment, and no way to get there. Then, at 6:00 pm, my attendant showed up to help fix me dinner. I had been thinking about having Jay put my driver's seat in the passenger side for about an hour; so when he showed up, we decided to try it. After trying a few things and eliciting the help of one of the residents of the building, we got me locked in and ready to roll!
Jay and I took off for AutoZone to get some WD-40, and I was driving again. It felt GREAT! Have I said that yet?
The bottom line is Jay will ride with me to my clinic visit tomorrow. At 2;00 pm, I am meeting with a possible replacement for my regular attendant if she does not recover. I will make it to the 5:00 pm meeting for the planning of Jeff's Memorial and we will make my trip to Worthington!
All things considered, it was a GREAT day. I want to close with an old picture of me driving. Enjoy! Click on the image to enlarge it. This is one of the photos Mike Ross took of me that appear on my website: You can get to the Van Photos page by clicking here:
As always, I look forward to your comments.
Later,
Mike
P.S. I know this is a long post, but it is 11:00 pm and I am still PUMPED!
2 comments:
Love the long posts, especially when they describe personal victories. You should be pumped!
Just so you know, your story, like so much of who you are, reminds me of how much of my life I take for granted. Like getting up unassisted, getting dressed, preparing a meal, being mobile, and driving a vehicle.
You, by being you, and heroically continuously handling what for you are these daily challenges, and doing it with a degree of grace (I know you get frustrated, but still...), are a living reminder to me to not take so much of my life for granted.
So ramble on and keep it coming. YOU are good for me! And I'm thrilled to hear you're both heading out to carry your message, and driving again.
Tomorrow AM, when I drive off for my morning appointment, you'll be riding along in spirit!
Love,
Earl
Hey Mike,
Your driving news made my day. Thank you for sharing!
Beth
Post a Comment