The Paradox of Appearances

I'm a walker and I'm a roller.

People are often caught off guard when they see me in my wheelchair if they are used to seeing me out walking Fred around the neighborhood. Others think I have a twin sister - if they recognize me at all - when they see me walking Fred and are used to seeing me in town, on the bus, on BART in my wheelchair.

It is confusing. I get that. I'm sorry it has to be so confusing. Some things to keep in mind.

I use a wheelchair to protect and preserve my joints. Believe me, YOU are safer, when I use my wheelchair in public places that would otherwise require lots of standing or walking.

I walk because it is healthy. My physical therapy routine requires 2 hours per day of standing and walking. So I try to get it all done on the front end of the day. Walking is good for circulation, core muscle maintenance and to stave off osteoporosis.

Walking is also quite painful and uncomfortable for someone like me who lives with Hypermobility type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. For me it feels like I've strapped on shoes lined with pebbles to walk the length of a freight ship in rough weather. Yes, really, it feels like that. The ground doesn't feel level or even.

I also have a wheeled walker that I use in my home. It is narrower so it fits better through the narrow doorways.

These are assistive devices, aides some of the many things that keep me moving forward. None of these things make me sad or feel like any less of a person. They are what have opened the world for me. They get me where I'm going.

I'm always happiest when my feet don't hurt, aren't you? Please be happy with me walking, rolling, moving forward.