My parents came to visit me last weekend. For the past three years, I’ve been living on my own, 600 miles away from them. I love my home and my community, and I know that for now, I’m where I’m supposed to be. But there are times when I miss…
Caring Together - a Column by Connie Chandler
“Thanks for inviting me on this trip,” my 9-year-old friend Forrest said to me last weekend. His parents were in the gas station convenience store, and we were alone in the car for a few minutes. “Well, thank you for coming on this trip,” I replied. Honestly, I wasn’t sure…
In my favorite movie of all time, “The Princess Bride,” there’s a scene I love because I can relate to it and have learned a valuable life lesson from it. And today I’m going to share it with you. The three heroes are on the castle…
I recently got a new wheelchair! Thanks to the good folks at Numotion, I’m happy with the upgrades, including a new seat cushion, a phone holder, and headlights. My friends have been asking me what it’s like to be in a new chair, and I’d say it feels like getting…
“I’m feeling a bit Muppety today.” It’s an adjective I made up for myself years ago (meaning “like a Muppet”) because there are just some aspects of having a neuromuscular disability that are hard to describe and explain. But as they say, if you know, you know. Consider the…
Last week I had the honor of speaking at and participating in the 39th annual SOFT Conference. SOFT, which stands for Support Organization for Trisomy 18, 13, and Related Disorders, is a nonprofit that offers support and connection for families around the country who have a loved one with…
Every year while I was in high school, I went to a weeklong summer camp with my church youth group. It was my favorite week of the year because I felt like I belonged there more than anywhere else. We played games, sang songs, stayed up talking all night, and…
I love to travel! A trip to England this summer was my first journey overseas from my Indiana home, but I’ve been to a lot of beautiful and amazing places in the U.S. and Canada over the years: mountains and canyons, beaches and forests, oceans and lakes, national parks and…
As I unpacked my suitcase after a trip to England, I found a little paper bag that held smooth pebbles, bird feathers, a snail shell, and a piece of sea glass — things that may seem common but for me hold special significance and precious memories. They were all scavenged…
I write a lot about my able-bodied friends and the ways they care for me. But sometimes the person who can offer the best support and help is disabled as much, if not more, than me. I have many stories snuggly tucked up my sleeves, but I’d like to share…
