Did Peg Kehret Be Able to Walk Again
Silvery and Tonto May 22, 2012
When I was stricken with polio at the historic period of twelve, I spent many weeks in a wheelchair, which I named Silver, subsequently the Lone Ranger's horse. Eventually I transitioned to walking sticks then, as those of you lot who take read my memoir, Pocket-size Steps: The Twelvemonth I Got Polio, know, I was finally able to walk without aid. Information technology was an achievement that affected my outlook and personality for the rest of my life.
Equally Small Steps was being prepared for publication, my editor asked for a photograph of me in my wheelchair to put on the book's cover. I couldn't detect one, and then I called my mother. She confessed that after I was able to walk once again, she had destroyed every picture of me in the wheelchair. "I didn't want to remember you that way," she said.
Lx-plus years afterwards, 1 of my biggest problems from post-polio syndrome is fatigue. My increasingly weak muscles tire speedily and are prone to permanent damage if I over-utilise them. If I walk besides far, especially on hard surfaces, I terminate upward not only in hurting, only with leg muscles that may not completely recover.
When I began making plans to attend my granddaughter's higher graduation, I knew from past visits to Whitman Higher that we would be doing a lot of walking to and from campus, and between buildings. We had a full schedule and I did not desire to miss anything so fifty borrowed a wheelchair for the weekend. Anne, Kevin, Eric, and Brett, were at that place to help push button. Before long after nosotros arrived Friday afternoon we decided to walk effectually campus to visit all of the places that had been and so special during Brett'southward four years there.
"Exercise you want the wheelchair?" Anne asked. "No," I said. "I've been sitting in the car for v hours; I need to move around." I should have said yep. Fifty-fifty equally I was saying no, I knew I would regret information technology, and I did. Long before we finished our campus bout, my legs hurt and I was over-tired.
Why had I not made use of the wheelchair that I had borrowed and that Kevin had wrestled into the trunk of the auto? I've used a cane (named Alice) for x years and take never minded that; I welcome the stability that Alice provides. Yet I was reluctant to use the wheelchair. A universal symbol of disability, the wheelchair represented everything I had fought and then difficult to overcome.
On Sat. morn as we left the hotel, I told my family that I wanted to utilise the wheelchair that day. Every bit I sat in information technology the start time, I idea about my female parent destroying those onetime photographs. I remembered how desperately I had worked to be strong enough to leave Silver backside. At the time, I had thought information technology was forever.
"Have you named this chair?" Kevin asked.
"Tonto," I replied. "The Lonely Ranger's friend." My friend, who would assist me have free energy for the of import events of the twenty-four hour period and who would prevent farther harm to my weakened leg muscles.
I rode in Tonto to all of Saturday's events, and I rode across campus on Lord's day to Brett's commencement ceremony. What a joyous occasion! What a proud grandma! After the diplomas had been granted and the caps flung and the happy tears shed, Tonto waited to behave me to the graduation political party.
For two days, Tonto was a true friend, saving me from needless pain and fatigue. At showtime information technology had seemed a defeat to return to a wheelchair, even temporarily, especially when polio was the cause. At present I see my decision as a triumph, a victory over fearfulness and dread that enables me to preserve the strength I take left and to fully enjoy life's celebrations. This time, I'll keep the motion picture.
One of my problems from post-polio syndrome is fatigue. It isn't the normal feeling of beingness tired that happens subsequently a decorated twenty-four hour period but rather a heaviness that drains my energy and makes fifty-fifty small activities seem overwhelming.
One mean solar day equally I tried to talk myself into going to purchase groceries I thought, Why don't I just pretend that I have lots of energy so act equally if it'due south truthful? And so, that'southward what I did. Telling myself that I felt cracking, I gathered my list, my coupons, and my purse and set off. When I got domicile, I was still fatigued, merely I wasn't whatsoever more tired than I would have been if I'd stayed in my recliner – and I was no longer out of cat food, an important accomplishment.
Since then, I often pretend that I experience better than I practise. Yous feel great, I tell myself. You can respond all your fan postal service this morning. Y'all can write three pages on that new book. Most of the fourth dimension, information technology works.
The post-polio syndrome isn't gone, but pretending allows me to manage it better. Of grade, I've been pretending for years in other ways, making up events and characters and dialogue, and putting them on paper. Authors are adept at pretending, and now I find it's been expert exercise for existent life.
Yesterday was my wedding anniversary. I met my friend, Marking Smithberg, for breakfast at Lil' Jon'southward, where we get the best cinnamon rolls in the world.
Carl and I used to get to Lil' Jon'south often and Mark (our unofficial son) went with united states many times, so it was a plumbing fixtures place to get-go the day. Nosotros met yesterday because Mark had made a babe souvenir for my granddaughter'south upcoming babe shower and he needed to become it to me to take to the shower.
While we waited for our cinnamon rolls, Mark said, "Today is your wedding ceremony ceremony, isn't it?" I was amazed that he would remember. When I said, "Yeah," he said, "Happy anniversary!" and handed me a gift.
Not only any quondam gift. It was a vintage player piano roll of a song that I did not even know existed: "The Franklin D. Roosevelt March." Considering FDR was a polio survivor, I've always had a special interest in him and, of course, I love to pump my old player piano.
This gift was a complete surprise, and it was perfect. A loving friend's thoughtfulness made me smile the entire day.
When Small Steps: The Yr I Got Polio was published, the editor wanted to use a picture of me in my wheelchair on the cover. I looked for one and learned that after I got well, my mother had destroyed all photos of me in the wheelchair because she didn't want to call back that time. So nosotros used a photo of Alice and Dorothy, two of my hospital roommates, instead.
This caused no end of confusion. Everyone wanted to know which of the girls in the photograph was me. When the paperback was published and, after, the Tenth Anniversary edition, nosotros used a picture of me when I was home from the hospital for a Christmas visit.
Source: https://www.pegkehret.com/category/polio/#:~:text=Eventually%20I%20transitioned%20to%20walking,the%20rest%20of%20my%20life.
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