It could be worse…

A question that people, especially those who are close to me, tend to ask is how does ‘Wheelchair Boy’ cope with being disabled? Observant readers will already know the answer from the title. Yes, I have a rare condition that only affects 1 in 50,000 people so I’m quite unlucky. It has many symptoms, not least that I’m permanently wheelchair bound but that’s not really a problem. I suppose you could say that I’ve become used to Friedreich’s Ataxia. In an ideal world, I would be normal but, apologies for bursting the bubble, nothing about the world is ideal. Life is just about dealing with reality and I’ve learnt to do that.

The way I do that is realising it’s not bad after all. I may be in a wheelchair but at least I’m not in excruciating pain (apart from when I kick the wall in the middle of the night). I may get funny looks or comments but at least I get to see and hear them (at the moment anyway). I may have to go for endless check-ups at the hospital but at least I come out after an hour (1 hour is a little bit optimistic). Being disabled is not a blast, as you will have picked up from my numerous rants, but it’s also not the worst thing I could’ve been born with. At least I have a fully functioning brain (well, I think I have…errrrrrrr).

Recently, I heard a cancer patient speaking on the radio. He was in a brilliant mood, cracking jokes and being positive about the future eventhough doctors only gave him a few months to live. This illustrates my point nicely because it shows that however bad life gets, it could always be worse. The man was grateful of all the love and support from his family but pointed out not everyone is that lucky.

I know there are some who look at me with pity and feel sorry for ‘Wheelchair Boy’. The question is why? My life is great and the main reason for that is I am breathing. Without sounding cliché or perhaps a bit high, being alive to fight another day is all that matters.

Bye for now!