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The Wheelchair Cush Life?

Feb 02 05:44

People will sometimes tell me I look young for my age. And people will tell one of my friends who’s also a wheelchair-user, who’s 42 but looks about 28, she looks young for her age too. After years of only worrying about the health-related cons of using a wheelchair (bed sores, bladder cancer, pneumonia), had I finally come across a bonafide pro? My friend and I have jokingly dubbed it - The Wheelchair Cush Life.

See, I’ve always felt a tinge of sadness come over me whenever I’ve had to circle the “sedentary lifestyle” box when filling out a form. As a former dancer and girl who couldn’t sit still, the term “sedentary” has never sat right with me. But really, you can’t get around it. When you can’t walk or stand anymore, let’s face it - you’re sedentary.

And for many of us, we’re not out in the harsh elements anymore. For example, I can’t be out in the sun too long otherwise I’ll overheat. Even though that’s made laying out in the sun with my girlfriends a shortened affair everytime I try to do it, it’s saved me from sun exposure and frying my face through my twenties (I’m sure using SPF daily lotion on my face since age 20 hasn’t hurt either). I now have a face that gets carded in her ‘30s, and although it’s great, it makes me feel uneasy.

Since I can’t help out with chores and several group activities like I used to (which I absolutely hate. This barrier is the reason many of us feel alone. Humans connect deeper when they work together), this also lends itself to the life of so-called “cushness” and preserving your bod. I’ll sit and chill…and I’ll sit and chill some more. No one ever asks me to help them move or paint their place. No one expects me to clear the table or carry in the groceries. Put it this way, I haven’t shoveled snow in over 18 years. I’m not bragging. Not being involved in so many physical aspects of life cannot be good.

As I age and all of us with disabilities age, take note; you may start looking young for your age too. But being parked like a classic car in a garage is creepy. Sure, we may look younger, but the trade-off is still severely lacking in the even-Steven category. I’d trade being able to walk over saving on anti-aging products any day.

What say you? Am I alone, or do people say you look young for your age too?

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1. Justine | Feb 03 03:46

I have been getting that comment for years now. I'm 32 and constantly get the " you look good for your age! " comment, which is really backhanded if you think about it lol. Is 32 supposed to be old??? I think that looking younger than we are and having disabilities is a bad combo. It's bad enough that people regard as us being imbeciles and incapable of doing....well, anything, really; looking young doesn't help counter that.

2. Tiffiny | Feb 11 05:43

@Justine glad to know I'm not the only person! So annoying....

3. born handicapped | Jul 19 05:16

I. have been dealing with people who think I. look much younger all my life, and I'm short in my chair so when I was a kid it was worse. People to this day say I'm aaaww soo cute, which has gotten aaaww soo olld, aaaaww how ANNOYING!! blankity blank blank blank!!!!!!!!!! SOB mother F'ers!! If one more, damn it, just one's more moron tells me how cute I am I'm going to run them over with this here power chair if I gotta take the positioning straps off and tie them up so they stay put as I charge at them. :) Oh, I'll be fine I'll just lean hard into one of my lateral supports. LOL :-) I'm bad and I love it, I gotta be me and oh yea, I go outside a lot, :-) and people are just soon mean aaaww :-( they put, lotsa trash cans on sidewalk, but that OK I fix that :-) zoom ram bam! oopsies, trash fall on the lawn. :-) 99? 100! yay! tada, I win!

4. no chip on my shoulder but | Jul 19 05:19

Spin 2.0

By Tiffiny Carlson

Tiffiny Carlson Disability buzz, travel, fashion and dating — fun things to amp up everyday wheeling life.

Tiffiny Carlson is freelance writer and writes the “SCI Life” column for New Mobility. She's also a C6 quad from a diving accident that occurred when she was 14 years old. A lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Tiffiny has been a writer in the disability community for over 10 years and writes for several publications and blogs, as well as her personal blog BeautyAbility. Her work has also appeared in mainstream publications such as Nerve.com and Playgirl.