Able-Bodied

A student of mine a couple years into my teaching, when I still taught English, told me about a dream she had about me. She was really cute about telling me about it. She didn’t want to upset me. She told me that she had a dream where I was walking up the stairs in the school. (I had just gotten into a manual chair then) and I remember smiling and feeling warmth in my heart! Back then, I used to dream all the time about walking! I’d have dreams where I was running a marathon (which I have never done, nor do I want to!) or even just dust my furniture or scrub my tub on my hands and knees.

As my disease progressed, 100% of my dreams were of me being able-bodied. When I started out at Barwis, Dusty worked the front desk and told me once that he had seen a lot of people in wheelchairs come through there but there is something about me that made it seem like I did not belong in one.

Well at Barwis, I worked so hard to get up and walking but when I injured my knee, I stopped going there. I miss it so much! And it makes me sad but Dr. Frush said not to go back until my knee stopped hurting. My knee still hurts! I hope to get back there one day!

Well, today, my Mom got to my house and told me that she had a dream last night that I was walking. I was the current age I am now and she told me I was a bit unsteady but I was still walking! When she told me this, I thought of that student and of Dusty. It’s got to be true someday!

I still have hope for that happening one day even though it’s hard to see that with my knee hurting so badly! As of late, I do not dream anymore and I do not sleep very well either which is a product of my disease but I still have daydreams of walking again one day and being able bodied again!