Wheelchair Experience

I expected that the wheelchair experience would be difficult, but it was much harder than I thought it would be! I never fully appreciated the strength that you need to navigate a wheelchair. When I was going down a hill, I almost wiped out twice because I couldn’t steer and use the brakes very well. It took a lot of strength to hold the wheel and direct myself while going downhill. It was also hard to go up the hill. Going to the restroom was very challenging as well. One of the hardest parts was just getting over the lip under the door just to get inside the bathroom. Luckily someone helped me and I was able to get inside. It was also really hard not to use my legs at all when transferring myself from the wheelchair to the toilet. I was amazed at how much I take my legs for granted. I guess when you don’t have an orthopedic impairment you lose sight of how your legs allow you to do countless things that you normally don’t even think about. At times I was definitely embarrassed because I was so bad at using the wheelchair. I would run into things or have trouble steering. I was grateful though that several people were willing to help me. Overall, it was a really good experience!