3 replies to this topic

[SarahR]

While I am not an SCI person, I am a quadriplegic in the making due to CMT, a type of neuromuscular disorder. I walk with crutches and use a wheelchair in big places (the mall, Walmart, etc). It's a degenerative disorder, so someday I will probably be in a chair full time with significant loss of use of my arms and hands. I haven't posted a lot here, but find the people here to be very inspiring and encouraging to other disabled people. I have a lot of days where all I can think about is my future and how much I don't want to go there. I also have days where I appreciate what I can still do, and force myself to do it because I know there's a lot of you who can't.

One of the things I forced myself to do was go hunting this year. I know, lots of people hate hunting. But many others enjoy it, both able-bodied and disabled. My husband and I are fortunate enough to have a few horses, and somehow I am still able to ride fairly well. Well enough to stay on all day and cover a lot of miles. And we did. Like 75-80 miles in 6 days. I was exhausted at the end of each day, each morning I did not want to get out of bed and back on my horse. But, I did it anyway. I would cheer myself on by thinking of people who cannot do what I do, encouraging me to keep going, to cowboy up and get on that horse. So, I did. Fantasy or not, I did it for people who can't. Someday that will be me, too.

We went all deer season and didn't get a deer. My husband got three shots, though. Then it was elk season, and it had gotten a lot colder. It was 10 degrees when my husband lifted me up on my horse that morning. I was looking forward to that day with dread. I hate getting cold, as soon as I get cold my hands shut down, it's like a preview of what is to come. We rode to an area we had seen elk in dring deer season, and there they were. Running away. I managed to get my cold hands out of my gloves and blew on my elk call and they stopped. My husband shot......and guess what? We now have a freezer full of lean, organic elk meat. And I helped with my elk call, so in a way it's like "we" got an elk. We were so excited, after all of that work, to finally have something to put in our freezer.

I couldn't help but think about much harder being disabled makes these types of activities while out there, and at the same time counting my blessings that I have a good horse and a magnificent husband. I thought of this forum and the folks on here, many who have it easier than I do, many who have it a lot harder than I do, and that gave me strength.

Being disabled is so hard, just in general. It's hard to not feel like you are the only one when you go out in the world and you see no other disabled people. I often feel like an alien, even with the great friends I have in my life. This forum means a lot to me, thanks to all of you even though I am a stranger still.

Being disabled is a type of adventuring most of us never wanted, but here we are. I hope many of you out there can find ways to enjoy the great outdoors, or the great indoors, in ways that make us feel, for a moment at least, "normal".


Sarah in Colorado

[cvelusc]

Congratulations! I'm glad you intend on eating the meat!

[itsjustme]

Hi SarahR,

It's difficult for me to reconcile the beauty of nature with the taking of a life since every time that I see deer off along the side of the road somewhere I want to slow down to watch them however I do understand hunting for food rather than hunting for just the sport of it and it sounds like that was a very special time that you and your husband were able to share.

Today being Thanksgiving your story seems to be all the more poignant in that today is truly all that we have and for that and our blessings we are truly grateful, our relative health, our loved ones and friends, your freezer full, your husband.

Thank you for sharing your story with us and being an inspiration for all of us to keep aspiring to do the things that we love whatever they may be, for as long as possibe and in spite of our each individual circumstances.

And SarahR no one is a stranger here.

[SarahR]

itsjustme, on Nov 23 2006, 10:27 AM, said:

Hi SarahR,

It's difficult for me to reconcile the beauty of nature with the taking of a life since every time that I see deer off along the side of the road somewhere I want to slow down to watch them however I do understand hunting for food rather than hunting for just the sport of it and it sounds like that was a very special time that you and your husband were able to share.

Today being Thanksgiving your story seems to be all the more poignant in that today is truly all that we have and for that and our blessings we are truly grateful, our relative health, our loved ones and friends, your freezer full, your husband.

Thank you for sharing your story with us and being an inspiration for all of us to keep aspiring to do the things that we love whatever they may be, for as long as possibe and in spite of our each individual circumstances.

And SarahR no one is a stranger here.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful post. I am also like you in that I love to see wildlife. I would much rather see them alive than dead, and I (personally) don't see the point of trophy hunting. I love to see big bucks walk right by our house, and I have no desire at all to shoot them. We live in the mountains, and one of the main reasons we do is to be able to see a wide variety of wildlife right from our house.

Anyhow, your post was very well written and I really appreciated it, thanks!


Sarah