New Wheelchair

I got a new electric wheelchair several weeks ago.  It took a few weeks to get it adjusted to where I felt like I could use it and be safe.  (A man had to come to our house to do it for me.)  i practiced around the house, but that is a lot different than being out in public....

On Saturday, we decided that it was time to bite the bullet and force myself to use it. We found a van around Christmas time that has a ramp to drive a wheelchair in and out of.  That is really scary to me!  Anyway, I lived through getting into the car. Then we took it to school, and found that it could fit in my classroom and the bathroom.  That was a relief.

After that, we went to Maddox (in Brigham City) to eat dinner.  That was terrifying to me!  On the way out of the elevator, my chair hit the edge of the wall.  Then we went to the table to eat. I was trying to get close enough to eat comfortably, and the joystick that controls my wheelchair got stuck under the edge of the table (in the forward position)!  My hands were stuck under the table, too!  My right hand was too squished for me to move it at all, so I couldn't do a thing to stop moving forward!  Poor Roberta was across the table from me, so I was pushing her backwards in her wheelchair!  Our waiter came running, and so did the manager.  Roberta was (appropriately) yelling, "Stop, Rebecca, stop!"  I was yelling, "I can't," back at her (as much as my voice can yell these days). Finally, it dawned on me that the power button for the chair was above the table, so in between yelling at Roberta, I started yelling, "Alan, turn off the power!  Turn off the power."  Thank goodness, he did!  That is one meal I will not forget!  Now it's funny, but I about lost it that night.  I wondered if I should ever go out in public again!