	October 1997

Deena's Story

Temporarily Disabled

When the doctor cast my broken foot I was given a pair of crutches, I asked the proper way to use them of a passing "union worker" and was told "practice". Not an athlete, I found that when with a supporter group of family and friends, I did fine. Travelling alone outside my home was frightening, and so I haven't been to work since mid july. However it did not stop my trip on the QE2 to newport in august.

Wanting to take the cruise, I called Cunard line and was told I could obtain a wheelchair on a "first come, first served" basis, but the chair availabilty could not be guaranteed. I thought that once on the ship I would be able to zip around in the wheelchair, and I would not be dependent on help from others. Not true!!!

My cabin mate on the QE2 called me "Brave Deena". "Naive Deena" is closer to the truth. I had never broken a bone before, and at 55 years of age was in a cast, foot to knee, which could not be put on the ground.

Strangers were supportive, helpful and curious. Because I was in a cast and did not have a permanent disability, people would smile and say "Hello", as though they knew me. We started talking about my injury, and then moved to their own experience with their own or another's accident or health problem. The chair I used had to be pushed by either friend or crew member. Others, both staff and guests, were usually helpful. Some did not know how to operate the chair properly and were quite frightening going down ramps (which were sometimes at steep angles. Some of the scarier moves included not applying brakes before leaving me near open staircases,and entering and exiting elevators located too close to the stairs.

In order to go out on deck I would be told an area was wheelchiar accessible, only to find a big step and narrow area that could not be navigated in a chair. If my friends wanted to retire early or miss breakfast, I was on their time schedule, since on my own I could not manage independently. Most of the time I felt grateful,needy and embarassed about asking for the bathroom stops, etc.

My disability showed me a side of people, both positve and negative, I never would have experienced otherwise. It also showed me more about myself. I did not believe I had the same rights as able-bodied people. I was always ready to wait 'till they passed, even when they were ready to help or wait for me. Each endeavor had to be thought out and evaluated -- how important it is, really -- since so much effort was needed for even single tasks. The experience humbled me and also gave me much respect for others and the paths they have travelled to independence.

The author can be contacted through her friend, Judy, a newbie, at ItsMench@aol.com. Judy is a very busy lady, planning a cruise through the Panama Canal next, we hear.

--Ed.

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