So...this happened:
And then in response, this happened:
I've been around long enough to know a response of this type isn't worth my time, and in actuality I've found a fun spot in this community by just sitting back, reading the forums, and occasionally popping in with an attempt at humor - an attempt to give somebody else a laugh.
But every great once in awhile, something jerks my chain distractingly enough that I can't help but respond. Since
@thomas998 decided to share, and with
@jloucks having some confusion apparently, I felt maybe I could add to the discussion, and perhaps clarify things.
So without further delay, I'd like you to meet my Mom...Rosalie:
She's the one in yellow, in the wheelchair, along with my Aunt, both of them lovely people.
I have my Mother and Father to thank for my interest and love of Disney World in the first place. I cherish the collection of memories from when I was a child and they would take me to the parks. Great times, the kind of memories that you just can't put a price on. My Mom spent her life taking care of people - family, friends, if she saw a need she would jump in hoping to fill it. And in some part, that led to her being in the chair. After a particularly grueling sequence of events one year that involved the passing of my grandmother on my dad's side, followed by the passing of my grandfather on my mom's side (In both cases my mom was a caregiver right to the end), and my grandmother on my mom's side being diagnosed with Alzheimer's...my Mom had a massive stroke. Her left side never did come back. 1997 was a brutal year.
Amongst the many things that changed for her was her own view of self image. Perhaps it's a generational thing, perhaps not, but while certainly still comfortable in the company of friends and family, being in public became a burden for her. She can't use an ECV, and frankly I think even if she could she wouldn't want to - doesn't want anybody to have to make a fuss just for her. That extends even to not wanting to have to have someone be burdened with pushing the chair. It's no surprise then that since 97 my mom had been to disney exactly once. You might imagine my happiness when for this year's F&G Epcot festival she said she'd be willing and interested in going.
I had the honor, and yes that's exactly the correct word, of taking care of transportation as well as pushing the chair for the day.
And I'll tell you something - for the smiles, and the laughs, and the good memories that happened on that trip, I'd push that damned chair up a mountain and I would smile all the way. I'll admit that at the end of the day though, it was nice to have parking that made the walk to the car just a bit shorter and enough room between vehicles to be able to have space for someone on either side of the chair during transfer.
To the point at hand...I hope you're both just trolls, because then you see, I'd get that. I'd understand that that's a thing. And it would be whatever - especially in a thread that is more garbage than anything of value. But to the possibility that you really do think there's no need for people who "cant walk from the car to a tram" to be at WDW, or that you can't understand handicap parking at a "walking destination" well, if that's not an act, maybe now you do get it. Perhaps not. Either way, I hope you or someone you love is never touched by something that turns your world upside down.
I'm not looking for a fight, and I'll happily slink back into the digital woodwork, appearing next time with an attempt at a joke, or funny picture...my usual routine.
But for this single post...in a thread that's run its course...I thought someone should provide a voice of dissent.
