< Back
After reading all the stories of overcoming adversity and stories of gaining acceptance after years of struggle, I am slightly embarrassed to share. Of course, I have my own personal story on living with an acquired disability, but here’s to diversity:
…..
Certainly the wheelchair heart conveys disparate meanings to different people. For some the message is straight-forward – persons with a disability can love and be loved. For others, the wheelchair heart takes meaning from the 3e’s of 3e Love – embrace, educate, and empower. For me, the symbol has another meaning...
The first time I saw the wheelchair heart was on Annie's back shoulder. She was getting ready to go out with her friend Susan. Her music played loud and filled you with energy. I was driving to get to my room down the hall. Her door was open and laughter poured out as usual. I couldn't help but look into her room. She was putting on her makeup while dancing in her wheelchair. It had a dizzying effect. I chuckled. Boys didn’t stand a chance. Ha, neither did I.
"Want to see my tattoo, JKo?" She asked with flirty undertones. She liked to tease, and I made an easy target. No doubt, I turned red.
"Yeah. Yes, I do." I mumbled. She angled her wheelchair and leaned over so I could see her new tattoo.
I thought it was genius. Two bold lines drawn in indelible ink – one curved in the shape of a heart and the other in the shape of a seated figure – farcically mocking the handicapped figure that watches over parking spots. The tattoo looked like it could be racing away across her back. She turned around and smiled.
“What do you think? Do you like it?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
Caught in her spell, I could only nod. Annie laughed.
“Wheelchairs are sexy, right?” I suggested after regaining my senses, and Annie laughed again.
Her laugh could draw you in like a siren’s song. I wondered if Newton’s inverse square law of gravitation applied to forces like Annie, and I backed away before falling completely head over heels. As I wheeled away, I contemplated the heart symbol and the figure riding on it. It looked innocent enough – a play on the traditional "handicapped” symbol -- but the figure seemed to wink at me and say:
“Beware, I mean to steal your heart and roll away with it…”
It would be years later before I would see the wheelchair heart symbol again. I should have remembered my first impressions. But, I never saw it coming. The signs were posted all around – it was a 3e love event – wheelchair heart symbols everywhere. A girl stole my heart and ran away with it.
Epilogue: I guess it’s funny the wheelchair heart does make me think about love and disability. They say that when one loses one of their senses that the other senses will sharpen to compensate for the deficit. I wonder if, in the case that one loses the ability to move, whether the heart and the mind make up for what is lost… and, I wonder what the girl, who has my heart, will do with it.
…..
Certainly the wheelchair heart conveys disparate meanings to different people. For some the message is straight-forward – persons with a disability can love and be loved. For others, the wheelchair heart takes meaning from the 3e’s of 3e Love – embrace, educate, and empower. For me, the symbol has another meaning...
The first time I saw the wheelchair heart was on Annie's back shoulder. She was getting ready to go out with her friend Susan. Her music played loud and filled you with energy. I was driving to get to my room down the hall. Her door was open and laughter poured out as usual. I couldn't help but look into her room. She was putting on her makeup while dancing in her wheelchair. It had a dizzying effect. I chuckled. Boys didn’t stand a chance. Ha, neither did I.
"Want to see my tattoo, JKo?" She asked with flirty undertones. She liked to tease, and I made an easy target. No doubt, I turned red.
"Yeah. Yes, I do." I mumbled. She angled her wheelchair and leaned over so I could see her new tattoo.
I thought it was genius. Two bold lines drawn in indelible ink – one curved in the shape of a heart and the other in the shape of a seated figure – farcically mocking the handicapped figure that watches over parking spots. The tattoo looked like it could be racing away across her back. She turned around and smiled.
“What do you think? Do you like it?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
Caught in her spell, I could only nod. Annie laughed.
“Wheelchairs are sexy, right?” I suggested after regaining my senses, and Annie laughed again.
Her laugh could draw you in like a siren’s song. I wondered if Newton’s inverse square law of gravitation applied to forces like Annie, and I backed away before falling completely head over heels. As I wheeled away, I contemplated the heart symbol and the figure riding on it. It looked innocent enough – a play on the traditional "handicapped” symbol -- but the figure seemed to wink at me and say:
“Beware, I mean to steal your heart and roll away with it…”
It would be years later before I would see the wheelchair heart symbol again. I should have remembered my first impressions. But, I never saw it coming. The signs were posted all around – it was a 3e love event – wheelchair heart symbols everywhere. A girl stole my heart and ran away with it.
Epilogue: I guess it’s funny the wheelchair heart does make me think about love and disability. They say that when one loses one of their senses that the other senses will sharpen to compensate for the deficit. I wonder if, in the case that one loses the ability to move, whether the heart and the mind make up for what is lost… and, I wonder what the girl, who has my heart, will do with it.
