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Iconic Wheelchair Stories
DeAnn’s post about needing a new wheelchair had me thinking about all the funny, awkward, inconvenient times my wheelchair has failed me.
Like the time it just died my first day of college, and I had to email my professor about why I missed her class. Student of the year!!
Or the time the motor started burning in Target and I managed to singe their rug. At least I left my mark??
Or the time the battery died at a bar and I made my friend push me 2 miles back to my car… all uphill. (He’s a keeper.)These are just a few of the stories I have to look back at and laugh. And shake my head. And maybe do a little bit of both.
Can you relate? What’s a good wheelchair story you always like to tell others?
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6 Replies
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These are scooter stories rather than wheelchair, but same idea I think.
I had a pickup truck in college with a lift to pick up the scooter and put it in the bed of the truck. The lift needed a plate put on the seat post that was bolted on. That scooter had exposed cables for the batteries. Somehow while I was in the main computer lab at college, one of the cables got caught in the bolts and shorted the wires. Smoke started coming out from under me and filled the whole lab with putrid burning plastic.
First time I was in Las Vegas I was staying at the MGM Grand. I decided to take my scooter for a ride up and down the strip, not realizing just how long it was. I nearly got to Fremont Street which is several miles from the MGM when I noticed my battery dying so I turned around (at the time there were pretty big gaps of nothing between places on the strip). I made it back to the old Stardust hotel which was still quite a ways from the MGM. However, it was already closed down and scheduled to be demolished. For some reason, it still had a valet outside who was able to call me a taxi and I was able to get to my charger before it was completely dead.
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Didn’t realize chairs melting down and starting on fire was so common. Did they happen to be E&J chairs per chance? My experience was in sixth grade when our class was going through the halls singing Happy Birthday to the kindergarten teacher. All of a sudden my chair jolted to a stop and the seat was getting hot. My class kept going until someone noticed I wasn’t with. It didn’t start on fire, thank goodness, but a bunch of wires were smoking and had melted. Luckily my mom was substitute teaching in the same school that day and had my manual chair in the station wagon.
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Lupa, you definitely lucked out with that one! I can’t imagine what I would have done.
DeAnn, I can’t remember for sure, but I’m almost positive it was a permobil. I also don’t remember what was wrong with it, but I DO know the wheelchair guy had to take my chair for 5 days and I was so bummed. Good thing your mom was at school to give you your manual chair that day. How scary! Did you ever find out what exactly happened to the chair?
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Wow! I’m lucky then. I’ve never had my wheelchair melt on me. Most of my stories are just of my wheelchair battery dying at the most inconvenient times, like during The Frog Follies. My dad had to push my chair back to the van on a scorching hot day after eating too many hot dogs. Lol.
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Crystal, at least he was able to burn off those hot dog calories?!? Haha
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Lol! True!
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