Post-Disney Report

So, on Thursday Millard and I left for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We were meeting up with friends and family to spend 5 days in the sun and warm. A number of our party would run the half marathon on Saturday.

This trip was planned about a year in advance, at a time when I didn't realize that I would be having bilateral knee replacement in January; at a time when I could still walk. In order to deal with the walking issue, an employee of mine graciously recommended Buena Vista Scooters, which dropped off a snappy little battery-power model on Friday before 7 am, and picked it up Sunday a midnight. They could not have been more accommodating and the price/day was less than half what Disney was charging for their big clunky models.

The trip was wonderful and terrible at the same time. The wonderful was warm, sunny weather on all days except the last one, as we were preparing to depart; it was tons of very excited, happy children who were more than happy to share their joy with us; it was an opportunity to have fun with some of my favorite cousins--Al, Rita and Patrick--and reconnect with Buddy and meet his new wife, Vickie. It was a chance to catch up with Karen at the race expo, and to talk with people from all over the world who had come to run either the half marathon, full marathon, or BOTH! These crazy people got "Goofy" medals and I think that is fully appropriate! And finally, it was a chance to see Millard set a goal for his race and beat it, after several years of very non-committed running.

The terrible was really about being hit in the face with my limitations. This experience has changed me forever, and given me a new respect for people who live their lives without leg power. On Thursday night we rented a wheelchair and Millard pushed me around Magic Kingdom--this was an awful experience. In addition to feeling like a burden on him, people simply DID NOT SEE ME. I was stepped on, bumped into, and was largely ignored by everyone around me. The switch to the power scooter over the next few days was somewhat better--I could navigate myself--but people still didn't acknowledge my presence, and some were outright irritated that it took time to load me onto the bus or that I got special treatment in the lines. As I said before--this was a total eye-opening experience!

Before we left for WDW, I was starting to feel fearful about the surgery. But now I am looking forward to it. And once I have new knees, I will take care of them so that I am never back in this condition. I have the power to do this right. That's something.