(no subject)
Today, I went with my dad to Jamaica Plain to see one of his friends, who was in the hospital for a few weeks because she has multiple sclerosis. She was adjusting to getting around and living, even in her apartment...she needs a walker or one of those electric wheelchairs to get around. We were going to see Star Trek, but the movie theater there wasn't by any means handicap-accessible (there were stairs going up to the theater where it was playing, and she couldn't go up them at all). So we ended up driving around town until we found this nice Indian restaurant, where we had naan bread and some really good vegetable dishes. She was a bit older than my dad, but she was really easygoing and friendly. I really felt comfortable hanging around her even though she was a lot older than me.
Anyway, I came to realize, after we left, how much of a strong and courageous woman she was. MS is a truly horrific disease, and it pretty much tore her life apart in some ways. But you could tell, just from being around her for a few hours, that she was really trying to overcome her illness and just live a regular life. She had so many stories to tell, and you could tell that before she got this disease she truly lived a great life. It just says a lot about you, when you're "disabled", but you don't act like it...you don't inspire pity in other people, even if you need help getting out of the car and things like that. It kind of put my life in perspective, and made me realize that there's no sense in feeling bad about whatever happened to you in the past...what's really important is how you handle yourself now, despite whatever obstacles you have.
Anyway, I came to realize, after we left, how much of a strong and courageous woman she was. MS is a truly horrific disease, and it pretty much tore her life apart in some ways. But you could tell, just from being around her for a few hours, that she was really trying to overcome her illness and just live a regular life. She had so many stories to tell, and you could tell that before she got this disease she truly lived a great life. It just says a lot about you, when you're "disabled", but you don't act like it...you don't inspire pity in other people, even if you need help getting out of the car and things like that. It kind of put my life in perspective, and made me realize that there's no sense in feeling bad about whatever happened to you in the past...what's really important is how you handle yourself now, despite whatever obstacles you have.