Extraordinary Doctors

MOST people think that ending up in a wheelchair signals the end of the road in life for anybody.

Never believe that for one minute, folks!

Especially when you know that such “precious advice” is coming from Yours Truly - someone who has been sitting in one for almost half a century!

True, life is never easy if you happen to be unable to walk on your two feet like everyone else. And ageing with disability further complicates matters.

However, with some help from some truly godsend – and in my case, extraordinary people – quite a few seemingly insurmountable tasks can be successfully overcome.

Last week, it was Zhar’s turn in my company of service dogs (SDs) to get his annual vaccination booster.

At 16-months of age, the novice Doberman candidate was more than due for his shots.

However, the trouble was: How does one get a more than 40kg Doberman that is petrified about needles to go to the veterinary clinic?

And what happens after you get there? Who’s going to get your monstrous pet and wheelchair out of the car and into the clinic?

I tried calling up all my dog-friendly pals that I could think of but they were all working at that time.

Just when I was about to give up hope, a most unexpected individual offered to help by getting out of his workplace at the nick of time and meet me at the vet’s. 

But back home there was still the humungous task of getting a highly suspicious and reluctant Dobie into the car.

Fortunately for me, Zhar, as an assistance dog is trained to accompany me anywhere.

Though admittedly, this time, I had to be a little naughty and trick him into thinking that our trip was nothing but an innocent car ride.  

This meant I had to hide anything and everything in the car that showed signs and traces of a vet visit – like a muzzle, bandages or medicines.

We followed all the normal procedures.

Zhar got out of his crate in my room and gently walked by the side of my wheelchair as I switched off the lights, locked my door and gate before getting into my car.

Incidentally, the super dog is trained to pick up anything that dropped along the way such as my keys, pouch and even his leash or collar – which he did.  

It wasn’t until the very last minute to the vet when I pulled over to the side of the road. This was to place the muzzle on my still unsuspecting Doberman.

At the clinic, my volunteer was already waiting.

Dr S R Dev, my physician – who also bred Zhar and gave him to me to be trained as a SD – helped to get him out of the backseat of the car and into the vet.      

The boys were out in no time after the shot.

Zhar leapt into the car with a huge relief.

And Dr Dev, without waiting for any word of thanks, just smiled and waved, before he drove back home as if this was a sort of a routine thing he did outside his medical hours.

As I drove Zhar home, I also recalled another experience of incredible kindness by another doctor – this time a dentist - just two days earlier.

Help isn’t always easy to find especially when you live alone. Wheelchair accessibility is also another real problem when you decide to visit any place.

I managed to get my law student pal A Kumaresh for a couple of hours for a haircut that I needed badly.

The obvious choice was to go to Mid Valley Megamall.

I also needed my teeth done too. Since the haircut salon and the dentist (Pristine Dental Centre) was opposite to each other, I called Dr Suresh Nair to see if he could fit me in.

Although it was barely a 24-hours notice, Dr Suresh and his team of assistants did not shun me off.

Instead they worked feverishly to fit me in at the time that I was visiting the hairstylist.

They did this because they realised how difficult it was for people in wheelchairs to get around.

When I got there, even though Dr Suresh already had patients waiting their turn, he treated me as if he had all the time in the world.

Not only that, he treated me whilst I sat in my wheelchair.

Dr Suresh understood the difficulty that many wheelchair users - depending on their levels of paralysis – often found in trying to get into the dental chair.

The lack of support bars positioned at the correct angle for wheelchair users make transfers to the dental chair difficult, if not sometimes even dangerous if there is a fall.

I was glad to get my two teeth filled. Another session for a third procedure is to be held anytime on my next visit to the mall.

I felt incredibly blessed by these special volunteers who touched my life last week.

I wish there were simply more of such people who would rush out selflessly and do something extraordinary for a disabled person when they need it the most.    

THE END

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