Well, yesterday was the 6 month anniversary of the accident. It was 6 months to the day and happened to be a Thursday as well, just like the night of the accident. So, what happened yesterday…on the 6 month anniversary of the day that changed my life and the lives of those in my life forever?
The day started off with a couple of appointments at A Step Ahead. I had a fitting and PT. The fitting went well, so I was told…since I wouldn’t know…not like I’ve ever been fitted for any of these things before! And…I sort of stood up in them. I stood up with my right side on the exercise bench and my left side was suspended in the air with a “jack” underneath it. Didn’t get any pics this time around but definitely will for the next fitting.
I get my ass kicked each time I go to PT now. But, I guess it’s just a preview of what’s to come because I’m sure my ass is going to get kicked even harder once I start learning to stand and walk. Major ab exercise and core exercises..which are all much harder to do when you don’t have legs anymore to stabilize you. I’d say try it see…but one can’t really pretend to not have legs, can they??
The later half of my day involved going back to the scene of the accident. And of course, it had to be hot and humid today, which as all NY commuters know, means a very uncomfortable subway tunnel. We didn’t plan on going on the 6 month anniversary, it just happened to be a coincidence. Ben and I met the NYPD ESU guys at the station house and then headed over to Grand Central with them in their truck. I sat in the front with Jim while Ben sat in the back with Rob. That was a pretty awesome ride. Once at Grand Central, Paul and Sean met us there and then we rode the elevator one level down from the street level to the turnstile level. The smell of urine in the elevator was lovely. Once we went through the door/turnstile, we headed over to the elevator that would take us down to the 7 train platform, which is 2 1/2 levels further down. Problem. That elevator was out of commission and it was the only one that took you down to the 7 train platform. What now? The guys suggested they carry me down…which, for multiple reasons, wasn’t an idea that I was ecstatic over. So, I suggested that we should at least take the elevator one flight down to the 4/5/6 platform and then they could carry me from there…which is what we did. As a commuter that night I’m sure people saw something they don’t usually see at Grand Central…a woman with no legs, in a wheelchair, being carried by 3 NYPD ESU members. I also didn’t expect the guys to have to carry me up (and down) the stairs of Grand Central…AGAIN.
On a side note, I got a glimpse of how difficult and frustrating it is for handicapped persons to travel using the NYC subway system (not that I didn’t already have an idea) last night. If you were handicapped and made your way to Grand Central to take the 7 subway and then was hit with the fact that the only means of getting you down to the platform was out of service, what would you do? How would you feel? Are you supposed to just turn around and say, “F**K it, guess I’m not getting to where I need to go.” Are you supposed to find an alternative subway route – one that is also handicapped accessible (there aren’t that many) and in service? Good luck. I just checked the MTA’s site for escalator & elevator status and there are a ton of elevators & escalators that are under repair and out of service. If Ben and I had gone all the way out to Grand Central ourselves last night, we would’ve had to turn right back around and head home because we wouldn’t have been able to get down there. That would’ve been extremely frustrating. Luckily, I had the guys with me. MTA – get it together ASAP.
Back to the recap of last night…Once on the 7 platform, we walked to the part of the platform where I fell that night. They showed me which stairs they came down from and I showed them which escalator I came down from. We talked about where I was laying on the track bed, what they did during the rescue, what I remembered, and a few other things – all whilst commuters and 7 subways came and went around us. I felt a little uneasy but wasn’t scared (maybe because I had the guys with me?) or sad, probably because I was there to try and find answers and not to “remember”. We “hung out” on the platform for about half an hour and then headed out. They hoisted me back up into the truck and we were out. I pushed the button for the horn. Heh. Once back at the station house, the guys gave me a tour of their digs and then we hung out with them until their shift ended. It was a long day but all in all, a good one – considering. #NYPDESUTRUCK1.
Some pics from last night.
Our fancy parking sign
Truck 1
Hoisting me up
Training for my new career.