I know right?! I don’t mean any disrespect to those ladies but come on! I want an ACTUAL depiction of a disabled woman in the real world!! Not an ex-model in a chair ‘cuz she was in a car accident.
27th May 2012
Notes: 1
So despite the bad news of falling this morning I did have some good news to share with you guys. And instead of making that last post super long I decided to split them up.
Flying isn’t the easiest for people with physical disabilities but it def is doable. I’ve flown before, but not since I was 7. I really wanna go to London with my friends but I don’t exactly have the strongest lungs. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to fly because of the altitude. I’ve been waiting forever to have a pulmonary function test and high altitude test to determine whether I could fly or not, and if I would need oxygen if I could.
Because it took almost a year for my stupid insurance to approve my referral, I got impatient along the way and booked a shorter trip for this July to NC to see how I would do. Anyways, I had the test done yesterday and it went good!!! After studying my breathing they ok’ed me to fly and I don’t need oxygen! Yay!! So excited.
I can’t wait for July!!!!
I fell this morning. I don’t fall very much - maybe like once a year, but my last two falls were pretty big. So this one compared to those wasn’t bad at all.
My bathroom is currently being worked on so I had to use my parent’s bathroom to shower this morning. Their bathroom is really narrow and I can barely fit my walker in. Though it was hard getting in and out of their shower, this wasn’t where I fell. It was when I was trying to open their door to go out into the hallway. They have one of those sliding doors where you have to put your fingers through the holes to open it. Well when I was doing that my fingers slipped and missed the hole and I lost my balance and well you know what happened next. It actually wasn’t a bad fall. My body slid against the door, but I fell against the corner of a cabinet. I had to lay there a while until someone came to help me up. I’m ok - a little bit sore on my back and thumb, but ok.
My last fall a year ago was when I was cleaning my room. I lost balance and fell back and hit my head against the corner of my bookshelf. I couldn’t move for a while. My head was scraped and bleeding and I was bruised and scratched up all over my body. I actually had to go to the hospital for that one.
Then my epic fall was 2 years ago. My friend and I were on our way to a show in Hollywood but we stopped to eat at Truly Vegan on Hollywood Blvd. (P.S.-they have really good chocolate soy milkshakes!) We were getting out of the car and walking towards the restaurant when I guess the tipper on my wheelchair got caught in a crack in the sidewalk. I was stuck so my friend and I were both trying to get me outta there. We were pushing so hard that instead of going forward to get out, my wheelchair tipped to the side. I fell with my wheelchair on top of me in a pile of dirt and broken glass. It stung immediately and I knew I had scraped myself. After I spent a good 10 mins on the floor trying to help my friend figure out how we were gonna get me back in my wheelchair, we walked over to Tommy’s to see what damage had been done. I went to the bathroom, pulled up my shirt and looked in the mirror. My whole left side of my body from just underneath my arm pit to a little before my knee was scraped, bruised, and bleeding. And the area that was affected was where I had a previous surgery so there was an insicion there. I cleaned myself up and it still continued to sting like hell, but I popped a painkiller and went to Club Moscow for a show.
Falls are fun aren’t they?!
I have an important test tomorrow and I’m nervous….
Push Girls.
While upon sight this seemed really interesting I’m not sure how I still feel about this. I know the show hasn’t even aired yet but I have to say I’m disappointed.
When I first seen/heard about this show I was really excited. Finally a show about people in wheelchairs, people with disabilities, in mainstream media. Come to find out all of these girls weren’t born disabled. They all were in car accidents or other traumas that left them paralyzed. They were all dancers and models who became disabled in their late teens or early 20’s. None of them were born disabled. None of them grew up knowing what it’s like. While I’m sure they have a better understanding now of what we have to go through, it’s not the same. They may be in wheelchairs now but did they have to grow up going to countless doctors appointments, having surgeries, going to physical therapy, splinting and bracing, ER visits and numerous medications, bullying kids and adults as well? I’m guessing NO.
I don’t mean to be bitter or make them out to be less of a person because they contracted their handicap later on in life - I’m just upset that the media couldn’t pick real women with real disabilities for this show instead of Victoria Secret model wannabes in wheelchairs.
Sorry for being harsh, and sorry for all the post tonight. Must be my insomnia making me wired up.
Interesting. I’ll have to watch and see how I feel about it.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-undateables
Described as:
Series Summary
Looking for love can be tricky, but some find it harder than others. Add disability to the equation and it can sometimes seem almost impossible. This uplifting three-part series follows the journeys of several extraordinary singletons as they enter the dating circuit in pursuit of love.
From a stand-up comedian with Tourettes and a trapeze artist with brittle bones, to a media student with Down’s Syndrome, an amateur poet with a learning disability, and a skateboarder with a facial disfigurement, the series follows them as they enter the world of blind dates, matchmakers and speed dating.
With the help of Searchmate, one of the UK’s leading personal introductions agencies, and Stars in the Sky, a specialist dating agency for people with learning difficulties, The Undateables explores the realities of looking for love in an image-obsessed world, where too many people make snap judgements based on first impressions - and even consider some to be ‘undateable’.
It’s 1am. I should be asleep seeing as I have work in a few hours, but I’m not tired and my arm hurts.
My arm hurts most likely because of all the drawing I did today. Having Arthro causes my body to become a lot more sore faster than others. I always thought it was funny I decided my profession would be an artist, since my hand starts to hurt about an hour after I use it. But it’s worth it. Even though it takes me longer to draw, though I’m often in pain when working on a piece, it’s worth it for me. I’m not the best artist in the world but I’m proud of what I do and I love seeing my work come to life! So what if I have to pop a pain pill here and there or have sleepless nights because my body aches? I’m doing something awesome that makes me happy.
I’m really excited about the projects I’m working on right now. They’re time consuming but I know they’re gonna come out awesome! And even if just 1 person thinks what I do is cool then that’s made my day :)
Btw, (shameless plug time) if you wanna check out my art you can at www.melissasanchezart.com
Hopefully this pain killer kicks in soon so I can try to get some sleep. Tomorrow’s another day…..
Word.
Yup!
Yes please! This needs to be at every handicapped parking spot.
