Will You Take Me For A Drive?

After much discussion back and forth, a decision has been made. I will not sell my truck just yet. Instead it will be insured for the year so that David and others can take me for a ride now and again, perhaps even a road trip of sorts. So the truck has been insured. I'll do the registration in a day or two.

What this means is that anyone of my friends nearby can take me for a drive, perhaps out to Cross Iron Mills, or even a day trip, perhaps to Lake Louise. More extensive trips are possible, with hotels and such, but they will have to happen with a trained caregiver along for the ride. That may soon happen of its own course as I am working to switch to Self-Managed Care and looking for a live-in caregiver.

If anyone wishes to take me for a ride, there are two things which will be important. First of all, learning to transfer me from my Power Wheelchair to the passenger side of my truck. It's not all that difficult as they are nearly level with one another. All that is needed is a push up a transfer board into the truck. Several people have already done this. It's just figuring out what way works best for the driver.

The next element is getting my wheelchair into the back of the truck. Any number of people have done this. They can tell you that it is both more difficult than you might think, but also easier than it seems once you figure it out. In order to get my Power Wheelchair into the back of the truck, there is the ramp for starters. It needs to be pulled out and set up. I can do this myself, so it's not all that difficult, just a bit heavy.

Once the ramp is in place the fun begins. Once I am in the truck, the driver needs to take my wheelchair to the back of the truck, set the seat at about a 45 degree angle, then drive it up the ramp. Once on the truck gate, the control arm needs to be folded back for clearance, then the chair can be driven into the truck bed. Others have done this and tell me it's not that hard once you do it the first time.

You don't need to be strong for this. All you need is a bit of flexibility when it comes to driving the chair into the truck bed. Katherine used to do this, and she was tiny. On the other hand she could handle the bending over while moving the chair into the truck. That's the real key.

So friends, don't be frightened. If you have an afternoon and would like to take me for a drive, I am up for it. We can do a practice run with the wheelchair first, then off we go!