Wheelchair = sad face

If you attend class on the KCC campus, at one point you may have seen a student with a seemingly healthy looking appearance getting around campus in a wheelchair, walker, crutches.  PTA (Physical Therapist Assistant) Program and prospective PTA program students are required to spend 24 consecutive hours in all of these assistive devices as a way to understand what patients go through when learning to use them.  The day I spent in a wheelchair sucked on a whole new level.

We often take walking for granted.  All of a sudden losing the ability to use my legs was frustrating to say the least.  The “wheelchair accessible” ramps on campus are not wheelchair friendly.  People cut you off when they’re walking and stop in front of you like you aren’t even there, forcing you to go around them.  I was laughed at when I went to the Kapolei Costco when I accidently rolled into a freezer.  Bathroom rugs slip from underneath the wheelchair when you try to shimmy on the toilet.  And, when you get onto the toilet, how do you get your pants off if you can’t lift up with your legs?  Getting a drink of water becomes a 5 minute long challenge than the normal 10 seconds it usually takes.  My wife had to help me crawl up the stairs to my front door.  I didn’t want to get out of bed in the middle of the night to use the bathroom because I knew how hard it was going to be.

It was all really depressing.  I couldn’t even get to my computer because of tight space restrictions.  At the very least, I got some great video game time in:

Yes, my blog name is my xbox gamertag.  If you ever want to try out these things feel free to contact me during midterms and finals season.  All of the students in the PTA courses need people to play patients for competency exams.  You get to role play and give us a hard time as you act out some type of disabling condition.  The therapy sessions are great especially if you get one with muscle stimulation or therapeutic massage.

NEXT WEEK: CrossFit Success Story