Getting me to walk seemed like an impossible task growing up. I didn’t really have the tools or the support from family, I was told growing up that as my body was getting too heavy for my legs even to hold me up. After so many trips to the hospital to try and give me a better chance of walking and seeing little change, as you can imagine this left mainly doctors frustrated by my ‘lack of effort’. I didn’t have much choice but to embrace life in a wheelchair.
Recently I went to the doctors again and had a set of plastic supports made up, in hopes of getting my legs in the right position. They are so inflexible and so tricky to put on without hurting me, and for a time the only person who could put them on was the physio. This meant I would put them on every two weeks. (supposed to be every day but realistically that couldn’t happen.)
At the start of the year, with encouragement from my Physio and Trainer, made my mind up to give this walking idea another go. They introduce me to a small ‘physio’ gym, and I started going there.
At the gym, I take my first steps by using the parallel bars. Wearing the plastic leg supports of course (you can’t really see them in the picture but they there), and that is going so well.
Here are some photos and even a video!
I need to sort out my hair!! It is such a mess!
Is not just parallel bars, here’s some excellent equipment.
For me to be standing so tall feels weird. Years of being in a wheelchair you get used to looking up.
At home,
I have begun using my physio bike for an hour, had it for years, and I can finally have the courage to use it independently :D.
Over time, with a slight change to the supports, more people were getting more confident putting them on me, and I started to wear them a little more often. With that said I am surprised how much I’ve improved in a small space of time. I think my little team of people (physios, trainer and carers) are also a little surprised how far my walking has been.
Now I can take it to the next level!
I got my Walker!
3 April 2018: The picture below is my second attempt using the Walker ( i believe!)
(I tried to compress the size, but nothing happened.)
Sometimes it looks like I’m walking drunk, I still getting used to the frame. My legs still need to get used to walking with the supports on, and that can only happen over time, I’m getting there.
Now I started, I just have to keep the momentum up!!
I should have done this years ago!!
ThomasGKandiah 