Rainy Day Van

Life is a trade off this is my mantra and every day I get older I see the truth in the statement more and more…it drives me crazy. In the continuing saga of the power chair for nothing this is the latest installment. I have a meeting over at Human Services which takes my lunch hour and goes to three, so with the threat of rain, taking my lunch hour late I elect to cruise home following the meeting. I was wet off and on all day in my chair and on the road. I dried off once I got to work with the hair dryer I keep in my drawer. I have also been wearing the “dork cover” the red slicker. I know I look strange but the device keeps me remarkable warm and dry.

Remember tonight is the night I was going to drive over and pick up my old chair and drop the new one off. However, I was thinking this might not happen since I cannot get my van to operate, as it should. So, I had this brain flash: why not call Justin at Mobility Solutions and have him at least find the issue, then I could still go to the meeting I have today. I really do not want to go over there in my chair. So, I figure I am going. I get in the house call Justine, he will wait a little after work for me to get there and so I take off my DC= dork cover and head out to the van. I open the doors and deploy the lift and drop in to the ground. I load my self in the up position and go in side and then find out the hand control I have on the inside of the van does not work. I cannot fold the lift back into the van and actuate the doors closed AND I cannot get the lift to lower back to the ground…I am trapped in my van. I have only one bar left on my cell phone and I am using that bar to call Justine to see if he would strop at the house but I cannot raise anyone at Mobility Solutions just a busy signal. I am too embarrassed to call Albert, the neighbor o I sit on the lift till Dianne gets home. It could have been colder but it was cold enough. I THEN call the folks who have my power chair to advise them I will not be able make the hand off. She says that is OK nod she will hang on to the chair for a couple o days. Then a few minutes later she calls and says her sons is bringing the chair over in their wheelchair van. Cool! It turns out that my Jazzy was too big for their small “bakery: van and it just so happens their neighbor is the owner operator of a personal disability transport system. They come over makes the swap—everyone is happy plus he looks at my van problem and ascertains the problem (I have closed the lift on the cord to the hand held controls and there in broke the wires. He is fixing them even as I write. I hope to have an operation vehicle again soon.

So now I have big old chair back--it's great to have back but now I have a power drain somewhere. I cannot seem to keep the thing charged up, now, it is my primary transport till I get my van operation. I have to be care that I don't run out of power on te main line: the tradeoff? I can atleast go fast!