Superpowers

"As soon as I put them on, I felt like I could fly!" On Friday, I finally got to try my leg braces on for the first time.  When I stood up with the braces, it was definitely a weird feeling but as I walked up and down the hallway I started to feel balanced and confident. It was such a great feeling and one that I never felt with the walker or the last braces.

I honestly feel like I have superpowers when they are on because the shakiness in my legs, when I walk for too long, has gone away and I feel like I can take off in a sprint. 

While I wish that we could have come up with this solution years ago, it is all about the journey. If it wasn't for having a walker for over a year. I wouldn't have experienced first-hand how important the Americans with Disabilities Act is for people who need accessibility features in buildings. I also was able to see and accept the helping hand of most people and the rudeness of some. 

I am very excited to start this new journey with the braces and I hope it will continue to give me peace of mind and allow me to stand taller and prouder.

My advice for others in similar situations is don't give up if you feel there is a better solution to the problem you are having. It doesn't hurt to try something new and who knows you may get superpowers too!

Written by Sydney Breslow 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Being "targeted" at Target

Image
Imagine shopping with a friend on the weekend and your friend is suddenly approached by a stranger who starts whispering to her. As the outsider in this situation, what would you do?  Being the curious person I am, I wanted to hear what the stranger was saying to my friend, so I pushed my walker closer and strained to listen. Unfortunately, I still couldn't hear the conversation. After the stranger left, I asked my friend what the person wanted, and she said the lady was the owner of an Adult Day Health facility for people with disabilities and she thought they may be able to help me. She had given my friend a business card. My friend, who knows me so well, was so taken aback and was truly at a loss for words. While this lady may have thought she was doing the right thing by approaching my friend, she made an assumption about the type of disability I have and that I needed help. Both of these assumptions were made by seeing my physical disability and possibly overhearing my speech
Read more

Doctors who are Clueless

Image
Have you ever been to the doctor and felt totally disrespected and bullied? Up until this week, my experiences with doctors have been fairly positive. I went to see my primary care doctor for my yearly physical and she was so rude to me throughout the appointment, I literally broke down in tears. I knew the doctor was going to be late because I had been there for my flu shot the week before and waited thirty minutes for her. Therefore,  I asked someone at the front desk to let me know when the doctor gets to the office, so I didn't have to sit in a gown and be cold for 30 minutes. The employee was very nice and told me there was a patient ahead of me, so she had no problem doing that. However, the front desk employee forgot to tell me and the doctor walked into the room, without knocking, to get something for another patient and questioned me about why I was not changed yet in a rude tone. I felt like a child who was in trouble for doing something wrong at school. Not to
Read more

Going the Distance on Three Wheels

Image
Free- this is how I feel when I ride my adult tricycle around the neighborhood.  COVID-19 has been a tough and isolating time for everyone, When I came back to NJ in March at the height of the pandemic, the only way to get outside in the fresh air was to walk. At first, I could only make it a very short distance without having my legs get shaky and feeling like I was going to fall. Eventually, I was able to make it around the block but I still had to stop very frequently to rest and regain my energy. In short, it was exhausting. . . In July, my-parents surprised me with a three-wheel bike. The first time I rode the bike, it was a feeling I had never experienced before. . .freedom and exhilaration. I have a feeling this is how people feel when they drive for the first time  I may have started out a bit too confident when I was riding as I did flip the bike in August after going too fast and making a sharp turn. I think I am the only person in the world who could flip a three wheel bike!
Read more