Where did that week go?

I got up this morning and realized that we haven’t posted here for quite a while. Turns out that when you’re living your life there are just times when you’re too busy to reflect in real time. My days have been absolutely full—spending time with the kids, visiting with friends, getting out in the world, maintaining my therapy regimen, getting more independent with my care, and finally helping out around the house a bit (even if it’s less than I want). They’ve been full of new gains, lots of wins, and a few losses. So what’s actually happened in the last week?

On Saturday we got back into the car and headed to the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program. BORP is an amazing resource for disabled folks. At their Adaptive Cycling Center in Berkeley they have a wide range of bikes and trikes suitable for a wide range of injuries and disabilities. While we were there, we met a group of folks with traumatic brain injuries setting out with their caregivers on tandem bikes, a couple of paraplegic folks heading out on low-slung handcycles (I was so jealous), and the amazing and helpful BORP staff.

We went to the center merely to learn more about their program and handcycles more generally. But when we arrived, the program director, Leo, said “well the best way to learn about them is to ride one!” So I ended up taking my first bike ride since the accident and it was fantastic, if short. It was both familiar and strange at the same time. The rush of propelling myself up to speed — this I know well. Feeling the wind, smelling the park next to the bike path, greeting all the other cyclists on the path — this I also know well. But steering the bike — this was an entirely new experience. Rather than using my body weight to lean the bike over and allow it to turn, I had to consciously steer with the front wheel (while also continuing to pedal—manual?—with my hands). I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it eventually, but for now it feels strange and non-intuitive. Next up? A family ride this weekend—hopefully on a racier recumbent bike!

But riding a bike wasn’t the only win at BORP. There was no curb next to our parking spot, so transferring back to the car ended up requiring a nine inch uphill climb. It doesn’t sound like much but it honestly looked insurmountable when we first set it up. I made a couple of attempts, sliding back into the wheelchair both times. Then on the third attempt Dacia acted as backstop and kept me from sliding backwards, allowing me to make a second push that got my center of gravity into the car. And yeah, I may have fallen forward while doing this, and hit my head on the dashboard, but I still made it into the car and that’s what counts. Thankfully the Highlander’s dash is quite soft compared to my head.

Another first this week? I fell. With spinal injuries it’s not about if you’re going to fall, but when. For me it was Sunday night, while transferring from bed to the wheelchair. Dacia was busy making a strawberry tiramisu (which was amazing), so I decided to try my first transfer without a spotter. For the last week I had been transferring successfully with Dacia doing little more than spotting me. But of course, the first time I try it without that psychological safety net I slip off the front of the transfer board and fall (in a slow and controlled manner; I was able to use my arms to slow the descent) to the floor, ending up in a seated position with one leg folded awkwardly under me. Dacia rushed over and attempted to get me back in the chair, but I was simply too heavy and too awkwardly positioned for us. And of course I had fallen during a crucially-time-sensitive step in the tiramisu recipe. So I lowered myself to the floor while Dacia finished up, and then we used the sling lift to get me back into the chair. As with every potentially-dangerous event with my injury, it’s not so much about what happens as it is about how we respond. A panicked response might have made it worse—luckily Dacia is always level-headed in these situations.

The rest of the week has felt reassuringly normal. Our friend Brian visited for the first time since my injury, Arthur and I played co-op Portal on the Switch, Dacia got to take Arthur and Tycho to the park, and we all got to eat some amazing tiramisu. On to the next challenge.