“When it rains, it pours…then there’s a rainbow.”
I am still waiting for my rainbow. The Holiday weekend did not quite go as planned. Thanksgiving morning, while waiting for my friend, Damian (the priest), to come to Rae Ann to say Mass, the tilt mechanism on my wheelchair broke. We tried for 2 hours to fix it, and even Damian was on his knees tinkering with it, but to no avail. We said a quick Mass to the Saint of “all things mechanical”, but unfortunately a properly functioning wheelchair was not to be. And so, with a discouraged heart I had to get back into bed. I have been in bed ever since, and am writing this post from bed. I had a lot of plans this past weekend, which included a Thanksgiving dinner at our friends’ restaurant; a trip to visit another quad to check out his home set up; a few hours at the bar to watch the OSU game; a visit to my old apartment to spend time with all the in-laws and newborn babies; and a trip around town to view a few potential housing lots. In fact, my mom even paid to rent a van for the week to shuttle us around all the different places. However, the van, like me, sat idle and still remains so. The good news, though, is I still had a chance to visit with out of town friends and my in-laws.
The wheelchair vendor told us today that a new part had to be ordered which could take several days to arrive. Since I have been in bed for the past 5 days I have developed a new pressure sore. It goes with the territory when spending a lot of time in bed. When I am in the chair, I am able to tilt, thus redistributing the weight across my body. In bed, even with being turned every few hours, I am not able to shift the weight in the same manner. I know this is just another small setback that will be short-lived, but it’s still frustrating, nonetheless. The victories by OSU and the Browns did serve as a nice elixir for a brief period of time. I only hope I am sitting in my chair for the Cavs/Heat game this Thursday night.
On another good note, I was able to have a Skype conversation with, Alex Malarkey – the boy from the book “The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven.” Alex is a pretty cool kid with wisdom far beyond his years. We talked a little bit about our injuries and quite a bit about football. He is a big football fan, albeit of the Pittsburgh Steelers. His mom kept waving his Terrible Towel in front of the camera. Oh, if only my arms worked and I could reach in and grab it! He is a big fan of the Buckeyes, though, so I told him I would call him back for another conversation. His mom has also been a great resource regarding a lot of other information that will benefit me. Finally, Alex did share a little story with me about a message God gave him regarding his injury, and how he applies it today. Like I said, the kid just has a presence about him.
I attached a few pictures from the past few days. One is a group shot with Rick, Patty and their dog, Riley. They were visiting from Tennessee. We were able to spend a good amount of time together and catch up on all the crazy stuff we’ve been up to. Another is of Father Damian, his Dad, Ed, and The Boss. We are both huge Springsteen fans, and you’ll notice Damian even dresses like him under his robes. There are two other pictures of my high school friends and my in-laws (including Gracie, world’s best German Shepherd). Kristy’s parents came up Sunday and we all watched the Browns game together. Gracie was especially happy to see me and wanted to play “ball”. I used to always throw a ball to her in the back yard so when she saw me of course, the first thing she wanted me to do was throw the ball to her. Gary and Karen placed a tennis ball under my hand and I could shrug my shoulders to make it move a little; Gracie was so excited to grab it, I thought she might take a few fingers with it! The only bad thing about the visits was that I was bedridden. So ignore me in the pictures and focus on the upright individuals. They look better anyway.
- Rick, Patty and their dog, Riley
Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support!
Scott
Hi Scott,
It’s been a while since I’ve written, but I want you to know you’re in my prayers every day.
I look forward to every letter you post and anticipate hearing of some miracle no matter how big or small. You and your family are wonderful and your attitude and outlook amaze me.
Keep up the good work!!
God bless you,
Sue Semenec
Halex
Scott,
I think Father Damian use to be at St. Mary’s in Hudson? If it’s the same Father Damian he’s a great priest. I alwayed enjoyed listening to his homiiles which were full of energy and inspiration. I recall how involed he was with the youth of the parish and their trips to Rome. I’m sure he’s a great inspiration to you and your family.
Keep the faith …you’re going to have up & downs through your journey and always know I remember you and your family in my prayers
So sorry to hear about the problems with your chair, but AS ALWAYS you stay positive and focused. You are AMAZING!!! I pray that you are upright SOON!!!
I’m anxious to see the game tomorrow too – I hope the CAVS beat the HEAT!!!! That would be AWESOME!!!
Thanks for always INSPIRING, and making us appreciate the many blessings that we have.
God Bless You,
(Bobbi’s friend)
Powerchairs need to have manual options for ALL the features!!! GRRR……
So sorry about the chair. I was just on my way out the door from work when I got the call. Technology is awesome and awful both. Maybe you could start writing our screenplay…)
Scott, As soon as I read about the tilt failing my blood boiled.
My husband’s tilt as failed more often than I care to remember.
(He is a C3 with a trachea and sip n puff chair also)
It has left him in some bad positions (literally) and was in the shop the entire month of August.
If it is an Invacare and the tilt feature made by Motion Concepts of Canada I would not be surprised. We are getting little response from the dealer.
We learned quickly how life revolves around the chair.
Since my daughter calls his chair “Linda Blair the Evil Chair” I had to laugh that Father Damien could not fix it.
I hope my humor does not offend you. We have learned in that humor is what is getting is through this.
I’m really sorry that your Mom rented that van and it could not go.
Interesting to hear of your Skype visit and we liked the pictures even if we don’t know the people-haha. OK, we liked thedogs.
Hang in there Scott and thanks for the updates.
You must be incredibly strong because God only gives burdens to those who can handle them- and you have had more than your share. Hope that wheelchair is operating soon. I know you were looking forward to seeing some lots- soon, I hope. Love, Aunt Marilou
Scott, I am praying for you that you get back to that upright position very soon! I got my bracelets in and gave one to my parents, sister, and (new) husband this past weekend, and we all wore them over the Holiday…many of my family asked about them, and we shared your story – so please know that you are always in our prayers. You continue to be an inspiration to us all!!
You my boy, Blue! In spite of the broken chair, looks like your posse all dropped by to see you. Awesome! Riley had a ball being there and was the perfect lady….with the exception of marking her spots outside.
I thank God every day for having a friend like you.
Love you buddy,
Rick & Patty