055 – Facing the Realities of Physical Changes

November 19, 2018 twodisableddudes

Sometimes the scariest aspect of life with a degenerative disorder is transitioning, whether it’s to a wheelchair/walker/cane, driving with hand-controls or giving up driving altogether, or giving up some of our independence in any form. But we try in our podcast to live life urgently, and sometimes that involves facing the elements of our life that aren’t always fun to talk about.

 

It’s important for us to acknowledge that transitions look different for each individual person. We both still have a lot of independence — Sean still walks, and Kyle, in a wheelchair, lives on his own. We hope that talking honestly about the life transitions we face can give some insight and encouragement to others, no matter how different your circumstances may be.

 

We talk about the sobering realization and the newfound freedom of accepting assistance, whatever assistive devices or people we may turn to. We talk also about the other side of the decision — of the benefits of resolute trying to do tasks on your own.

 

What we believe is that it’s up to every person to decide when and how to make life transitions. And what we’ve discovered is that, though the decision of personal life transition is a huge deal for each of us personally, who we are and what we mean to others does not depend upon whether or not we use assistive devices.