My Colorado trip has been AMAZING with the snow, skiing, and the mountain. It has all been absolutely perfect. Yesterday was my scheduled day off, so I planned to take it easy and maybe do a little shopping. But of course, life had other plans.
As my assistant was driving me with the joystick on our way to a shopping spree, we were heading out into the hallway when she reached for the wall and a static shock hit her. Normally, that would just be an annoying little jolt, but somehow the charge went straight through her hand and into my wheelchair’s joystick. And just like that, it was fried.
For those who do not know, my joystick controls everything. Without it, I cannot move, which is obviously not ideal. Luckily, I can still drive using my head controls, but really? Of all the things to go wrong on this trip, a rogue static shock knocking out my chair was not something I saw coming.
Then came the real worry. My chair charges through the joystick. If that was not working, how was I supposed to keep it powered? I had a brief moment of panic.
But thankfully, my wheelchair rep came through like an absolute hero. He called me right away, and after some quick problem-solving, he remembered there was another charging port on my chair that I had never even used. The Crisis has been averted!
So yesterday did not go as planned. But if nothing else, it was a reminder that even when things go sideways, there is always a solution. Today, I was able to go skiing and absolutely crushed it! Back on the slopes I went, soaking up every second of this incredible trip. Hopefully, the rest of my time here is just as exciting, but maybe with a little less electricity involved.
Megan Fry 