Well this week never end…

I have to admit I was kinda of excited at the thought of driving the new loaner hair into work this morning. I don’t know what I was expecting but after yesterday’s horrible snow fiasco, and later bathroom fiasco I did not think the week could have any further challenges well I was way wrong.

I don’t know this chair maybe as quick as my last chair. I first thought the chair was slower. But now am not so sure. The chair is smaller seems but I don’t know how that can be with my seat that I transferred from the dead chair to this loner chair I got from the ILC. I was pleased to find the loaner is easier to transfer into and out of the older chair—that is good. So, I was dressed and out of the door in pretty good time. When I transferred into the chair the sheep skin curled up under my but and kind of pitched me forward in my chair and gave me a “tippy” sensation but not “tippy” enough to cause me problems.

When I got into Salt Lake Planetarium station, my usual ending, morning stop, I came down the high block ramp, crossed the street and entered the parking area of the Utah Paper Box company . I come this way every morning—even though there is a sign which states “No though a fare” I take this to mean for autos but not for pedestrians. The controller on my loaner chair is quite sensitive I just barely have to touch the ‘on and off” button and the chair will stop, immediately seizing the drive wheels. This is new to me on the loaner chair and I still have to get used to the buttons sensitivity. So as I was traveling the parking lot I hit some rough ice which must have bounced my hand enough to hit the button and the chair switched off but I kept my forward motion out of my chair and onto the ice.

I found myself lying on my back in my great white coat staring up into the dark morning sky, there was a light snow falling and I traced individual flakes as they came into view and fell slowly onto my face. When I fell I lost one shoe and my pants fell dangerously down my hips I must have looked like Charley Brown being hit by one of those line drives—Shultz drew so graphically in the comic strip Peanuts. I was laying non my back, I could not move, I just laid there. My cell phone was in my back pack, which I could not get to. I was not worried because sooner or later I knew there would b e someone driving into work. This worried me a little with their sign posted about it not being a ‘thorough fare” So I just laid there and yelled for “help” I did this for about five minutes before I realized I was being approached by two fellow. It took a moment before I realized the two were asking me questions: “was I alright?” Did I need an ambulance?”. I assumed hem I was OK and did not need an ambulance but did need some assistance to get me back in my wheelchair. These two lads did not know what they were getting into but they were “gung-ho”. One grabbed hold of each arm and tried to haul me up into my chair but that a no go. The they pulled me up into a sitting position and tried to then grabbing each arm pulled me up again and almost made it. They ended getting me to sitting on the foot plate an then we all took a break to catch my breath. The we tried the “one two three” method and surprisingly enough they got my butt precariously perched on my the seat of my wheelchair, enough to let me hook my arm round the handle on my seat back and pull myself to the seats safety. In the process of this my pats had fallen to my knees. I asked the lads to give my slacks a pull and got myself somewhat presentable particularly with my great white coat pulled way down over my hips.

I thanks the guys for the assist and tore out of there as fast as I could holding on to my back pack and both shoes on top of the backpack. I finally got to the office. Stowed my gear and head to the bathroom to re-dress myself.

Again, exhausted before the day even starts—this holiday week HAS to end soon.