Since I've been on this quest for the copay for my wheelchair, I've had people...some that have known me for years) ask me why now? Those that don't know me at all ask me why? So...I've decided to explain why I do need a wheelchair, and why I don't just "walk" all the time.
I've had what's know as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy for 20 years. A lot of people that know this disease know that the time period itself is a big thing. Throughout the years I've fought to NOT wear my AFO and to sometimes be able to wear heels. I would work really hard and be able to wear pretty shoes for a couple months, and then my ankle would start hurting and I would have to wear my AFO again...it's a vicious cycle. When my ankle was first injured, I spent a year on crutches. The doctor finally diagnosed me with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and put me in the AFO. I was never told exactly what it was. I was given pain medicine and a brace and sent on my way. It's been that way for the past twenty years.
When I first moved here to Lufkin, I was in a car accident. (It wasn't my fault!!!) I was rear ended in the truck. The lady did very little damage to our truck but totaled her car...I guess that shows how hard she hit me. I went to the doctor and he did the MRI and I was diagnosed with 3 herniated discs in my neck. It wasn't until the second MRI a year later that the tech noticed the syrinx, and sure enough they went back to the first MRI and it was missed. My doctor explained that this was why my hands were going numb and gave me muscle relaxers and basically sent me on my way. I was NEVER told what exactly the syrinx was or what it involved...everything I've learned has been through my own research. Again, I was given a diagnosis and medicine and send on my way.
Last Spring, my ankle started getting a lot worse. I had to start wearing my brace again, but this time my ankle didn't start feeling better after a while. Then, last fall, when it was raining, my ankle was hurting so bad that my doctor suggested crutches full time. It helped for short term walks etc, but my ankle has been getting worse. Then...there was the Cowboy's game fiasco. Long story short...a 15 minute walk for normal people turned into a 45 minute walk for me because I was in so much pain. That is when my doctor decided that it was time for me to use a wheelchair on trips like that and at school. For twenty years I've tried to deny that there was anything wrong with me. I've tried to grit through the pain and ignore it, and there comes a time when you just have to say, OK...I see it your way...it's time to pay attention.
Now with school started, it's getting harder for me to walk around campus. I'm still trying to raise the funds for the copay. I'm pretty active on campus, and the one thing that a lot of people do know about me, is that I believe in Random Acts of Kindness, which I of course perform every week. (I won't say how, that would ruin the fun) So, this is the rundown on why I need the wheelchair. Here is the reason that the copay is so expensive It's called a Smart Drive from Max Mobility. This would help me push my wheelchair without hurting my hands much. And the chair itself is going to be the Rogue from Ki Mobility.
Now, I also know that as Texans (most of us anyway), we have a big heart. If you can't afford to donate anything on my gofundme, please just share it. Every little bit helps, and it would make Marci a little less crabby!!!
