Scooter Saga

Back in Lake Oswego, Earl and I were happy to resume our routine.  He was driving, walking, biking (a bit different now) and I was scooting on my 'new' Skeeter.  I don't think I had realized that there was some deterioration going on.  The speed going up hill had declined.  There was definitely more zip in the new one.   It had been nearly a year since Earl got his new hip*.  The bike accident primarily damaged the opposite side, so the hip prosthesis stayed in place.  He went in for the one year post–operative visit and was given a clean bill of health by the orthopedic surgeon. I was back to meeting my friend for Sunday coffee**.  We catch up on our families, current events, etc. and then I blissfully scoot the mile home, listening to music on my phone.   "What's Earl doing today?" she asked. "He's going for his first group bike ride.  Yay, Earl.  It's been a long uphill recovery." I'm halfway home when...

Earl was a dedicated, but realistic convalescer (is that even a word?)    He reluctantly cancelled a bucket list adventure to Borneo in the Spring, knowing he wouldn't be able to meet the hiking requirements.  It was a difficult, but reasonable decision. Determined to get back in biking condition within a year, he signed up for the Gran Fondo Whistler ride in September with a friend.  She too, had been hit by a car on her bike, had surgery on her injured shoulder, and eventually recovered to ride another day.  In fact, she had become one of Earl's mentors through this ordeal.     We headed back to Maui for most of March.  Tropical warmth feels better than Northwest rains to a healing bone structure.  This time Earl could walk and lift, so we were able to resume most of our usual routine.  We weren't going to run the risk of losing luggage this time*.  Because his shoulder was still weak however, I wasn't going to "latc...

It's been a long 10 months since Earl's bicycle accident on the highway in Maui*.  The accident affected him in w ays other than the physical injuries.  Not that we needed another lesson on how life can turn on a dime, but I thought we had that one down.  Little did we know, there was more for us to learn.  Where I've had almost 15 years to adjust to disability, this was a foreign experience for him.   Making the adjustment from caregiver to an injured person was hard.  Earl had spent the last decade being my primary caregiver  and felt bad about not being able to that.   Tammy: "Like you did this on purpose?  Last I heard, you were going for a bike ride and minding your own business." My experience with disabilities ended up being fortuitous.  Having different deficits made the tag team approach to tasks more doable – pathetic looking, but doable.  Being wheelchair bound and no longer concerned about balance whe...