Don't hide us away! We aren't a mistake!

On my trip I got a LOT of stares from people. Not the good type either. Being myself I was, of course, completely oblivious until one of our tour group pointed it out. For the first time I noticed the lack of people in wheelchairs, of handicap 'helps', and my unusual status.

My friend and I say Hello World from the Great Wall!

On all my travels I never encountered such a thing. Growing up in America it is almost a given you will find some form of handicap help. From ramps to door-opening-buttons to making life wheelchair easy I have taken all of this for granted. Even in Egypt & Israel, they might not always be there but people were more than willing to make an effort for this foreign chronically ill gal.

The people in China were very kind and very friendly. I wish I had known a great deal more Chinese so I could have reciprocated their tries at conversation. Truly wonderful but not when it came to wheelchair usage. I didn't learn until later why this was. My native tour guide informed me the handicap are usually kept at home, especially if they are young. I was horrified at the thought. To be imprisoned in your home and reliant on everyone to get you around is no strange concept to my life. Heck, it is my life.

Yet I have never doubted my family wants me to see the world. If they did not all they would have to do is say no. No one ever finds it easy to drag a wheelchair up the Great Wall, through the Forbidden City, and maneuvering through a crowded night market? Takes a lot of dedication. One member on our tour went so far as to say I might be thought of as a 'mistake.' She didn't mean to be cruel but those words continue to haunt me even now.

Am I a mistake? I don't believe so. Unlucky? Surely. Had an unfair turn of events? O for sure but hardly a mistake to this world. My parents have not done anything to cause my health problems. In fact they have done all they could to find ways for me to live in this world. I want to talk to everyone I know, those I don't, and anyone who thinks we are otherwise.

Being in a wheelchair does not mean not being able to travel. We don't have to hide away. Even having little to no helpful tools cannot stop our zest for life. Why hide us away? We have a spark for life most can never imagine. I am saying it now and always will: when life takes away so much it is when we find what truly matters. 

So look at me smiling and know I am no mistake. True. I don't like to have a wheelchair in my pictures. My cane is being held by someone off camera and my chair is hidden from view. The reason? I want to see the smile on my healthy spirit. When I look back on these days from a healthier viewpoint I want to see more than a wheelchair. My body is frail yet my racing heart remains strong. At least I hope so as I'm off to visit the cardiologist next week to find out for sure.

If any one ever needs to hear the encouragement to get out there and see the world despite their body's complaints, then tell me. I will speak for all of us when I say travel can be the best medicine. Look at the world around you from a new viewpoint. You will be amazed to find your spirit lifted in unimaginable ways.