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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