Disability Dialogue with Bill

Accepting the Inevitable: Total Hip Replacement

Have you ever had to make a crucial decision that would cause you to experience pain, discomfort and challenges requiring you to adjust your way of life to possibly benefit you in the long term?  As I briefly talk about in my blog post, Succeeding in the New Year: Don’t be Afraid to Walk a Tight Rope, I recently had to make that crucial decision to have total hip replacement surgery.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have my right hip totally replaced on March 4th using a surgical procedure that is referred to as the anterior method. After a short hospital stay I came home on March 7th. I was home quickly due to the fact I had an excellent surgeon and had very few post surgical complications. Also after careful consideration I elected to do my recovery/rehabilitation at home with my wife Kathy’s assistance instead of a Skilled Nursing Home/Rehabilitation Facility. If you have read some of my other blog posts you might have noticed my wife and I are experienced at overcoming challenges, difficult times and leveraging assistance as required.

CONTEMPLATION

I have been apprehensive over the past years and months considering the best time to have surgery to replace my deteriorating hip. I considered the time I would be away from work, lost wages, medical expenses and professional and personal commitments. I compared these priorities to my long term medical health and how well I could tolerate the pain to assist me in selecting the best time to have my surgery. I also took into consideration that the X-Rays and MRI consistently showed that my hip bones were crumbling away and the pain and my ability to walk was getting considerably worse the longer I postponed the inevitable. The pain had been so terrible for so long my blood sugars were being adversely affected. My last X-Ray also showed that I had a crack across the head of my right femur which confirmed that I could not put off the inevitable any longer. I finally decided to take action and scheduled my surgery.

In preparation for surgery I planned and anticipated extra challenges to overcome since I am completely blind, have diabetes, neuropathy and nerve damage in my legs caused by the critical medical condition which took my eyesight away in 1999. I also expected I would not be able to do many of my normal activities without assistance for some time while my bones, muscles and tendons healed after such a major surgery. As part of my preparation I learned that recovery and rehabilitation is critical in helping prevent a dislocation of my new hip which would require doing the surgery all over again. Recovery and rehabilitation is also critical in this type of surgery. I had to allow my new artificial hip to bond naturally with my existing bones in my leg and hip to help insure the new artificial joint is stable, strong and will last.

DAY ONE IN THE HOSPITAL:

After checking into the hospital I met the anesthesiologist and talked with my surgeon to cover last minute questions as I was being prepared for surgery. I remember holding conversations with everyone.  The next thing I remember was the sensation of the gurney I was lying on being rolled on the smooth hospital floor producing very little sound from the wheels. Soon I heard voices which sounded like my wife Kathy and my mom. I asked them if the surgery was over. When I heard them respond “yes” I said in astonishment “I cannot believe the surgery is over”. At this point I was not experiencing any pain or discomfort probably due to the medication. Just after I briefly talked with my wife and mom I fell asleep due to the pain medication and any remaining general anesthetic which I was given for the surgery.

After I woke up I heard voices around me. When they identified themselves I learned these were the nurses and rehabilitation therapists - physical therapist (PT) and occupational therapist (OT). They were preparing me to stand for the first time on my new right hip. This group tested my blood pressure and oxygen level. My blood pressure was low although with the suggestion of the therapists I started to stand with the assistance of a walker. Before I was completely standing I felt very faint and felt like I was going to pass out. I was told I looked very pale. After this unsatisfactory reaction the nurse and therapists said I should wait for my blood pressure to come up before I attempted to stand and they helped me back into bed.

I was told I had lost one-third of my blood during the surgery which was normal and could be the reason for my low blood pressure. Now that I was awake I was aware that my right leg was experiencing moderate pain and my leg muscles felt very tight which was uncomfortable. These sensations were due to the fact my surgeon was required to cut many muscles and tendons.  He also dislocated my old hip to remove it and replace it with the new artificial hip.

After the surgery my right leg was swollen and looked like one large multicolor bruise that covered three-quarters of my leg and continued partially up my back.

DAY TWO IN THE HOSPITAL:

To assist my hip healing properly and to help prevent the dislocation of my new hip I was required to sleep with mobility restrictions. These included having to sleep on my back with my legs straight out and my legs surrounded by pillows to help prevent me from turning over in the night. Another option I had while I slept was to lie directly on my side with pillows between my knees, ankles and other pillows surrounding my legs to help insure I did not turn over or cross one leg over the other. My nights were restless with these mobility restraints. The nights were also uncomfortable with sporadic sensations of pain and muscle stiffness. Luckily I was provided enough pain medicine which allowed me to get some needed sleep to facilitate healing and helped me be rested during the day so I could concentrate on my therapy. Although I would experience an uncomfortable night I was willing to accept any challenges to expedite my recovery.

Following breakfast it was time for therapy and my chance to practice walking. My nurse tested my blood pressure and found it was high. After consideration of high blood pressure my nurse and therapists decided to proceed and allow me to attempt to stand. With determination and some struggling I pulled myself up to the standing position with assistance from a walker. I stood for a few minutes before I was told to get back into the bed.

After rest and lunch it was time to work with my therapists and continue to learn how to walk with a walker. On my next attempt to stand I pulled myself out of bed and stood with much more confidence and energy. Since I am completely blind my therapists were required to improvise and verbalize any instructions instead of actually demonstrating the techniques. After listening to the instructions on the basic techniques to walk with a walker I simultaneously visualized the technique my therapists were describing in my minds-eye and was soon walking with my new artificial hip. While walking my therapists verbally instructed me in which direction I was to walk to help avoid obstacles, including other patients who were also walking as part of their rehabilitation. I required verbal assistance to help guide me because a walker provides minimal orientation to a completely blind user compared to using a long white cane. A white cane is used by rhythmically swinging the cane back and forth in front of me very close to the ground while tapping the cane tip on the ground when the cane reaches the end of each swing as it assists me in locating and avoiding obstacles.  Since I am used to walking with one long white cane and one support cane walking with a walker made me feel very unsafe if I attempted to walk without verbal guidance. I truly would feel as if I was walking blind.

DAY THREE IN THE HOSPITAL:

I continued to eat my three meals a day, walk twice a day and rest to help me recover. Each time I walked with my walker I was getting more proficient, confident and stronger. In preparation to leave the hospital I practiced walking up and down steps with my walker. This was so I could navigate the steps required to get into and out of my house.

DAY FOUR IN THE HOSPITAL:

On my last day in the hospital I practiced getting in and out of our car safely with the therapist's help to prevent injuring myself or my new artificial hip. The last thing I requested before I left the hospital was to be bathed which included washing my hair. I had no idea of how I would get to the shower at home to do these things because of the obstacles and my new mobility restrictions. Therefore I took advantage of the extra assistance I currently had at the hospital. 

RECOVERY AND REHABILITATION AT HOME

On March 8th I started my at home physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) plus had a nurse visit me a couple of times. In addition to receiving therapy and health monitoring services from these agencies during the first two weeks of recovery my loving wife was my full time caregiver and therapist. After the first two weeks of professional therapy these visits stopped and it was up to my determination, commitment and my wife’s tireless assistance to continue with my daily rehabilitation therapy and recovery.  I completed the recommended stretching and muscle strengthening exercises daily as prescribed by my therapists. With Kathy’s assistance I walked outside with my walker to further strengthen my legs, bones and increase cardiovascular endurance. Also these exercises assist with restoring my balance after such a traumatic experience.

This initial recovery and rehabilitation process took re-prioritizing our life’s activities since these tasks took many hours each day to accomplish. This is especially true with the mobility restrictions which required Kathy’s help to perform many of my daily activities.  This dedication took a complete commitment for success.

A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO ASSIST IN PLANNING

• Medical Insurance Preparation

If you have medical insurance, be sure to cover all insurance questions with your provider prior to your surgery/procedure. If your insurance agency verbally tells you a service or medical supply is covered get the answers to your questions in writing if possible.

• Rest

Get plenty of rest and try to be in the best possible physical condition prior to the surgery/procedure.

• Diabetes Preparation

If you are diabetic attempt to get your blood sugars under control prior to the surgery/procedure.

• Get References

Select a surgeon you know or can get references to follow up with the surgeon or patients who have had the same surgery or medical procedure from the doctor you plan to use. 

• Accommodations / Accessibility

If you are disabled or require special needs visit the hospital/medical facility and explain any specific needs you may require. If you need accommodations explain your request with suggestions on how the staff can assist. 

• Be Prepared To Be Your Own Advocate

The medical staff is usually very busy and if you are not able to fully understand and participate in all communications regarding your medical needs someone needs to look after your requirements, communicate the requirements and follow up with all hospital staff to help insure you get the best possible care.

• Be Patient

Understand you are not the only patient in the hospital/ facility and you will have to wait to receive assistance at times.

• Balance Recovery Enthusiasm

Balance your recovery enthusiasm with the recovery/therapy requirements provided by your physician. Exercise patience in returning to your normal daily activities to assist in maximizing your long term benefits over taking short cuts in recovery and rehabilitation to accomplish short term advances that may not last.

• Plan For Your Unique Situation

I understand that everyone is different and my surgery, recovery process and recovery/rehabilitation length will be different than yours. Understand what I have described is my own unique situation. Please consult your own physician for assistance with your own unique requirements.

Now that my mobility restrictions have been removed I will continue to do physical therapy and orientation and mobility training as I transition back to my support cane and long white cane for independent safe navigation.  Now that I have the ability to start walking with my long cane this added exercise will strengthen my muscles and tendons. This exercise is also vital to aid in hip and leg bone growth and bonding around and through my new artificial hip allowing for a strong joint.

I know it is still early in my recovery but I am very pleased with the results of my total hip replacement. My minimal discomfort is mostly at night and in the mornings and is typically stiffness and muscle pain while I am continuing to heal and strengthen my leg. My blood sugar levels have been consistently getting better than prior to the surgery allowing me to be in better health, think more clearly and make better decisions to assist with enhancing my life. I was also very satisfied with the care I received by all the doctors, nurses, therapists and staff at the hospital. All of the staff made appropriate accommodations when possible to enhance my stay.

The last several weeks of exercise, stretching and walking with a walker multiple times a day have been well worth the time I dedicated to help insure a successful transition to my next phase of recovery. I am also thankful I followed my doctor’s recovery/rehabilitation plan and did not give into my own temptation and do more activities than I was supposed to do risking injury thus causing a longer recovery period.

Do you have any tips you want to share that might help prepare one for surgery or medical procedures? Do you have suggestions about maximizing the benefits of any required rehabilitation? Do you have suggestions for people with disabilities or special needs to assist with recovery and any required rehabilitation?

We all look forward to hearing your comments.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Mark O'Brien: Living With Polio in an Iron Lung

Hello all,

I found Mark O'Brien’s story interesting, encouraging, educational and an example of what attitude and tenacity can accomplish.

Mark O'Brien contracted polio in 1955 and spent the rest of his life paralyzed requiring an iron lung. From age 6 Mark O'Brien, writer, poet and subject of the Academy Award-winning "Breathing Lessons" had the use of just one muscle in his right foot, one muscle in his neck and one in his jaw.  

In the iron lung he attended UC Berkeley and produced his poetry and articles with the assistance of Sip/Puff Switch technology on his personal computer.  Mark was an advocate for people with disabilities. 

Mark also was a journalist and co-founded a small publishing house, Lemonade Factory, dedicated to poetry written by people with disabilities. Mark did not let having scarcely an intact muscle in his body deter him from living independently and overcoming his challenges in order to accomplish his goals.  

Mark O'Brien died of complications from bronchitis July 4, 1999 at age 49 however from what I have read he did not let his challenges prevent him from experiencing and living life to the fullest.   

You can learn more about Mark O'Brien (poet) on Wikipedia. 

What did you learn from reading Mark O'Brien’s story? Do you have examples of others who despite their challenges have overcome or adapted to accomplish their goals? Do you have any other comments you want to share?

Bill Tipton 

Contributing Author

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Succeeding in the New Year: Don’t be Afraid to Walk a Tight Rope

Hello all,

I hope you will be prepared to experience the New Year with all the exciting emotions and possibilities including fear, uncertainty, challenges, joy and wonderful surprises.

As each of us takes a unique path in our life experiencing this year we are privileged to have many choices that will affect us. Our decisions not only affect us they affect the people around us that our life touches.

Some choices we have on any action we take are easy and mundane. Others are difficult and may take considerable planning to accomplish our goals with success. Some opportunities we have require taking planned risks to achieve the fruitful benefits. Other responsibilities that some people need to prioritize into goals are to assist family members and friends who may require additional assistance. It is best to understand some people we attempt to help do not realize they need help or even more perplexing some people do not want to accept any assistance due to a variety of reasons. In my opinion the most difficult thing to do when faced with the heartbreaking experience of attempting to assist people who do not realize they need assistance or do not want it is to let go and stop attempting to assist within reason, no matter how difficult it is to see these people in need. This letting go is critical to preserve energy and limited time for the many other goals you want to successfully accomplish.

With the abundance of choices available I realize prioritizing my time to worry about what I can and want to have an effect on is a balancing act.  What I want to accomplish and what may help me and my family, friends, colleagues and employer for goals is also a part of the balancing act. I can compare this balancing of priorities and goals to walking on a tight rope under a colorful big top tent in a circus while balancing on a rope far above the ground even though I have never attempted walking a tight rope. One false step or incorrect choice and I can lose my balance and fall to the ground thus completely failing at my attempt to achieve my goal. Without proper preparation, concentration and a sense of confidence I could slip off the rope however with luck quickly grab the rope and pull myself backup into the standing position thus wasting precious energy and time completing the goal. With the proper tenacity, attitude and skills I can successfully accomplish my goal of balancing and walking across the tight rope with ease and grace. I understand that not all people have the ability to physically walk on the tight rope I describe just like I can’t physically see the colorful big top tent I am walking under (I am completely blind). In my example I hope you can imagine my analogy no matter what your ability is. 

Like many others I plan to complete goals this year that include balancing priorities, taking calculated risks, learning new skills and accepting new challenges/opportunities to improve my positioning for success and happiness. One of my goals I plan to complete shortly is to have surgery on my right hip and have a total hip replacement due to Avascular Necrosis.

After my surgery and recovery my goal is to get relief from continuous pain and enjoy my family without the distraction of the pain or the inability to be as mobile as I need to be. I intend to participate in activities such as enjoying hiking blind and concentrate on my professional and personal life without the distraction of constant pain. I also plan to accept and complete the rehabilitation needed to give me the best possibility of walking again with minimum of limitation. For those who are not aware of my history I have had the opportunity to learn to walk again after a critical medical condition took my ability to walk for approximately one year. That previous challenge was much different than the reasons I will need this time to relearn how to walk again. Hopefully I will be able to leverage the lessons learned. 

Let’s all climb up a ladder under a large, brightly colored big top tent and walk across the tight rope with confidence and a perfect balance of priorities in order to make it safely across to our rewarding and gratifying goals in this new year.

Does anyone have any goals you plan to accomplish and want to share along with the reasons why they are important to you? We all look forward to hearing from you to start our new year together.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton  

Celebrate Holidays, Assist the Less Fortunate and Plan for the New Year

As the year transitions to closure I hope we can reprioritize what tasks we feel are the most valuable to allow us to take time to celebrate the holidays with colleagues, neighbors, friends and family. The closure of the year gives us an excellent opportunity to not only plan for renewal with the arrival of the New Year but also puts additional focus on assisting people in need during the holidays.

I feel we all should take every opportunity to learn and grow and this time of year provides many opportunities to share the gift of ourselves with extra incentive to celebrate life, family and friendships. I feel that having the mind-set of generosity and the willingness and enjoyment of sharing the gift of ourselves contributes to better health and well being. I believe this positively enhances our professional and personal lives. Taking the time to care for others less fortunate not only touches those we are assisting it also provides us with an invaluable chance to learn and grow from others’ experiences and knowledge. This could be the extra help a person needs to assist them in getting over or through some difficult times to enable them to be all they can be and strive to be.

As we get ready for year end and prepare to participate in holiday celebrations we should also prepare to assist those in need and set our personal and professional goals to catapult us into the New Year. We should do this with passion, renewed drive and a mind-set to pursue and accomplish our dreams and goals. We should however not overlook the need to plan and incorporate this mind-set into our inner values to help us succeed in whatever goals we want to achieve.

As I have learned we should not overlook life altering events that could cause our lives to go in a completely different direction than we had planned for. Such an occurrence might require us to add the completion of additional training or living modifications into our goals to adapt as best as possible to our new life situation in order to achieve our personal and professional goals. To prepare emotionally for such life altering changes we should anticipate such events and understand everything will not be as easy or comfortable as we might like or are accustomed to. However with the proper support from people around us these life altering changes might be a little more tolerable as we learn to adapt to our life situation.

How will you celebrate the holidays, share yourself with others and commemorate the end of the year? Do you plan to assist the less fortunate or those in need during this holiday season? How will you plan for a joyous and bountiful New Year? We all look forward to hearing from you.

Bill Tipton, Contributing Author

Global Dialogue Center http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

 LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

 Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

 Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Invaluable Attitude / Actions: Thankfulness

I personally enjoy this time of year as the calendar year gets closer to closure and the old year begins a rebirth into the New Year filled with new opportunities. I enjoy the Fall season’s weather as the air begins to turn into a crisp, clean, cold sensation that awakens a renewed sense of life into our body and mind depending on where you are located in the world. However what I am grateful for is how in some parts of the world people are taking time out from their busy schedules to celebrate an invaluable attitude followed by actions and thankfulness. I describe these attitudes and actions in Demonstrate Gratitude and Embrace Thankfulness.

I have personally seen and read about many individuals and families going through tremendous pain, hardships and difficulties. I am truly grateful that my wife Kathy and I have experienced only a few difficult challenges compared to what others are experiencing. I have shared these difficult challenges in my blog posts. I am truly touched from learning about the challenges some are experiencing and despite their difficulties some keep a positive attitude of thankfulness, joy, acceptance of people’s differences and caring for others.

I am thankful to have had the opportunity to experience some very uncomfortable situations which has reinforced what the true meaning and value of thankfulness is for me. I hope that you do not have to become disabled, suffer severe medical conditions, experience extreme hardships, tragedies or natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy to learn the value of a constant attitude of generosity and thankfulness.

My Thoughts and Opinions on How to Demonstrate the Value of Thankfulness

• Take nothing for granted

 • Give some of your time to assist non-profit agencies to help the less fortunate

 • Be a mentor to share your skills and companionship to educate others

 • Do not forget to say a simple “Thank You” to those who offer and provide assistance

 • Surround yourself with positive people (Virtually and in Person)

 • Share positive news instead of gossiping or speaking negatively about others

 I wish everyone a season overflowing with opportunities to graciously demonstrate thankfulness.

Does anyone have stories of thankfulness you want to share? Any experiences of how demonstrating an attitude of thankfulness has improved your personal and professional life? We all look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments and stories to assist us in enhancing our lives.

 Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Paralympics: Demonstrating Full Potential & Reinvention

Did anyone get the opportunity to attend, participate, watch or listen to the 2012 London Paralympics Games?

I know there were many outstanding individuals participating in this world class event. I want to share a story about one of the participants, Alex Zanardi, who, after becoming a double-amputee during a horrific race car crash was able to win a medal at the 2012 Paralympics Games.

What inspired me about Alex Zanardi is his attitude to reinvent himself to continue to pursue his dreams, despite any obstacles which he had to overcome.

Learn about Alex Zanardi in Fox News: Double-amputee Alex Zanardi hopes to race in 2013 Indy 500.

Another excellent example of a medal winner at the 2012 Paralympics Games is Vincent Boury. Vincent won the medal in Table Tennis. 

Having the privilege to know Vincent Boury, I enjoy his enthusiasm for life, willingness to help others and his competitiveness, despite his perceived challenges.

Does anyone want to share their thoughts after reading about Alex Zanardi and Vincent Boury? Does anyone want to share their experience with the Paralympics games? If you attended, participated or know somebody who was able to compete, what did you learn? If you participated, do you have any tips for others who may want to compete in a future event?  

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

Family Vacation: Creating Memories, Enjoying Companionship and Nature

On a recent family vacation this July, I was grateful to have the ability to visualize in my minds-eye multiple dolphins jumping in groups and individually, whales spouting water into the air from their blow holes with each breath as they surfaced and swam in the vivid blue Pacific Ocean in Monterey Bay, CA. there were adult and baby deer grazing in the nearby fields, seagulls squawking, pelicans and many other birds flying overhead and running on the ground. There was even one raccoon who was attempting to get into one of the places where some of our family members were staying.

I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity to experience this trip with 11 other family members, which included my wife Kathy, two of my nieces, two of my nephews, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, 3 great nieces, 1 great nephew, and my great niece’s friend, ranging in ages from 8 to 71 years.

Even though all I see is blackness due to my blindness, I can still look into the deep blue ocean, clear blue sky, hills, mountains and ravines filled with grasses, bushes and trees to see, feel and sense nature surrounding me. I am also grateful to have had family with me who did not mind describing some of the surroundings and wildlife, as we walked or rode to local destinations, in golf cart type vehicles that were provided to assist guests in getting around the facilities and the local recreational activities at the place where we were staying.

Besides the enjoyable companionship, I enjoyed waking up each morning and listening to the sound of the peaceful ocean waves, birds singing, seagulls squawking, experiencing the warm breeze and the feel of the sun’s rays warming my body, which  created a truly relaxed atmosphere. The fragrance of the flowers, bushes and trees were exhilarating and awakened senses that are, in my opinion, stifled, living in cities or large towns away from nature. 

During our vacation, we enjoyed many wonderful activities, including going to the beach multiple times to enjoy the sun and water. After lying on the beach relaxing on a blanket in the sand, I decided to cool off. I walked into the ocean water with my support cane and felt the crisp, cold water splash up against my legs as the ocean water rushed in all around me. Lying on my back in the sun I listened to the thrill in my family’s voices as they watched the dolphins jumping and the blue whales spouting in the magnificently blue ocean. This was a wonderful experience. I had never seen a dolphin in the wild and never been so close to a whale in the wild when I had eyesight, therefore I was grateful to have these experiences seeing through my family’s eyes and their descriptions of dolphins and whales swimming so close to all of us.

Listening to my great nieces and great nephew riding boogie boards, and building remarkable sand castles filled the environment with very cheerful sounds of joy and exhilaration.

There was also the sound of happiness of others watching one of my nieces and my wife Kathy wading in the ocean surf, as a large wave caught Kathy off guard and got her a little more wet than she anticipated as she yelled out with joy when the wave splashed up against her. From the sounds that filled the air I could sense everybody was having a delightful time, including me!

While my nephews played Frisbee, the rest of us enjoyed just being together, eating, laughing, playing and having a great day at the beach.

We all enjoyed sharing great meals together on our vacation. One of the highlights was when we had a delicious dinner, perfectly cooked barbeque (BBQ) with a variety of delicious side dishes and salads some of us caringly prepared to go with the BBQ. We had such a large group we all could not sit together, therefore some of us enjoyed our dinner inside and others sat outside while we watched dolphins and whales jumping and spouting in the ocean just off the seashore. After a delicious dinner we all went to the beach and sat around a large fire under the twinkling bright stars in the dark sky, where we all roasted marshmallows and made smores, which were delicious. The smell of the burning wood and the crackling sound of the campfire was relaxing, since these smells and sounds reminded me of camping.  While we all enjoyed each other’s companionship sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows and making S’mores, large brightly colored fireworks exploded above our heads on the beach. They exploded with bright shapes in all directions as my family described to me so I could vividly visualize this in my minds-eye. Other highlights of our vacation were eating delicious breakfasts, drinking coffee, tea or juice each morning with the companionship of family while breathing the clean fresh ocean air and listening to the ocean waves outside. Each morning we would look out the windows of the place where we were staying and could see deer grazing with their fawns which had white spots.  This was a wonderful and peaceful sight with the grey blue ocean just off in the distance.

What also made me happy was when other family members would visit each morning to share gratitude and joy, (and food and beverages too), while we prepared to experience a wonderful day at the ocean. I say visit us, because of the size of our group we needed to stay in two places.  Our places were so close to each other, we could walk to them when we wanted to. 

Over the couple of days we all spent together I never felt like I was limited by not having any eyesight. I participated in all of the activities and fun. If I needed assistance, there were family members around to assist. Even my great nieces and great nephew were happy to sight guide me to some locations I was not familiar with. I felt so comfortable on our vacation, if I got disoriented while walking outside by myself using my long white cane for navigation and short support cane, the strangers I met on my walk were so friendly, accommodating and helpful with any verbal guidance I ask for, I never experienced any limitation I could not overcome. Having my wife Kathy to also assist significantly helped to ensure a successful and wonderful vacation.

I understand that packing, planning, prioritizing and preparing for a vacation is time consuming, especially if you have a disability or are experiencing other challenges which may limit some of your activities. I also understand without assistance it might not be possible to go on a vacation for many reasons. Since I am completely blind and can’t drive  a motor vehicle, and public transportation is not always available or accessible without the assistance of others getting to some locations, and receiving some assistants locating what I need to pack for a vacation I might not be able to attend such vacations. And there are some people without any challenges or limitations, who choose not to participate because they do not want to take the time to plan and prioritize their personal or professional life to experience an enjoyable vacation.

I hope you will not let any challenge deter you from participating in trips or vacations with family or friends. I also hope you can cherish the value of sharing companionship with others, and the value of unselfish behavior and attitude. Even if some trip modifications and assistive technology (Low or High Tech) are necessary for an effective and enjoyable vacation, it is worth the planning and sacrifices to create lifelong positive memories.

We all look forward to hearing your comments, vacation stories and the value of sharing your experiences and how they were of value to you and others. 

Bill Tipton

 

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Day at the Races 2: Life’s Circumstances Change - Adapt, Participate and Enjoy

A few years ago, I experienced my first auto race as a person who had become completely blind suddenly, which I describe in Day at the Races.

 

I am happy I had the opportunity to attend my second race, American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Laguna Seca Raceway, as a person who is blind, with my brother. I am also pleased my wife Kathy was able to accompany us and visit with my brother’s girlfriend while my brother and I were at the races in the beautiful hills above Monterey, California.

 

 

I attended these sports car races for two straight days which presented unique learning opportunities for prioritizing, planning and preparation, which included ensuring I packed Assistive Technology (Low & High-tech), food, beverages and any essential medical supplies to promote a successful trip. When I had eyesight I had been to this 2.238 mile (3.602 KM), 11 corner road race course track with many elevation changes many times, therefore I was prepared to do some walking throughout the days.

 

Day One:

After an excellent lunch in Carmel we dropped off my wife Kathy at my brother’s girlfriend’s house and my brother and I spent a few hours at the race track getting ourselves oriented to prepare us for the main race day. I will explain more about the track and the cars in Day Two. While my brother and I were exploring the race track, Kathy was visiting with my brother’s girlfriend and keeping their dog company. After a short exploration around the race complex and track, watching and listening to some cars practicing and qualifying, we returned back to my brother’s girlfriend’s house and we met up with my wife Kathy, my brother’s girlfriend and we went out and had a delightful dinner. After dinner we sat and enjoyed each other’s company, visiting and talking throughout the evening.

 

Day Two:

When we arrived at the race track complex and found the parking for the disabled, I was pleasantly surprised to find they also had special golf like carts to assist the disabled to get to the race track from the parking area, and return rides after the event. I remember when I had eyesight and drove myself to many races at this track I would park for what seemed like miles away, and walked over multiple hills to get to the race track. Therefore, you can tell why I was so happy to find these accommodations.

 

After arriving at the race track I was very glad to find many of the dirt paths that used to be steep and narrow trails around some locations at the race track many years ago were now paved, widened and from my observation (sense only), the paths I did walk on seemed to be wheel chair accessible. Finding the paths around the race track to be more accessible was a great relief since I walk with the assistance of two canes, one long white cane and one support cane. Walking on steep, narrow and rocky dirt trails with a variety of elevation changes could have been hazardous with no eyesight.

 

When I first arrived at the race track there wasn’t a problem holding a conversation with my brother as the cars whizzed by us producing a consistent sound. My brother looked at the paper schedule we were given and found this race to be cars from one auto manufacturer and one type of car. This was the reason for the consistent sound emanating from the cars. After that race ended we took the opportunity to walk to and through the pits where I was able to touch some racing wheels and tires that were stacked near a semi truck trailer from one of the many tire manufacturers that supplied tires to the racing teams. We took this opportunity of being close to the racing teams to talk with a member of my favorite ALMS GT racing team, the Flying Lizard Motorsports.

 

After exploring the pits enabling us to get close to the race cars, race teams, food and drinks, along with many other things to do and see we stopped shortly for some freshly grilled lunch. After our lunch we walked back to a location near the track for the start of the main race of the day which the Flying Lizard Motorsports Team was racing in. We set up our portable chairs we carried on our backs, that doubled as day packs just outside the two fences that protected us from the cars on the track. We relaxed in the sun and took time to replenish ourselves with cool drinks we carried in our daypacks, along with some snacks.

 

Before we knew it, it was time for the cars to start their engines and do some warm up laps. I immediately noticed a drastic difference in the sound of these cars compared to the cars we heard when we first arrived at the race track. Then the flag person waved the green flag to start the race, I imagined in my minds-eye, since even if I had vision we could not see the flag person from our position on the race track. Soon after the start of the race the scream of the cars breezed past us at much faster speeds then the cars in the earlier race. The cars produced a variety of sounds which I enjoyed. Some produced loud deep growls, some loud wines, some smooth quiet whirling noises and other unique sounds came from the variety of cars and manufacturers. Not long after the start of the race the cars were spread all around the track, in clustered groups as I listened to the noises blast past me and felt the rumble in my body. I could distinguish the speed differentiation between the cars, since there were five races within the one race with all types of cars on the track at once racing within their class. This meant that some faster cars were required to negotiate their way around the slower cars, as they battled between others within their own class. When the cars roared, growled, whizzed and buzzed as they accelerated by me I could not hear my brother talking right next to me. I was filled with exhilaration and was having a wonderful time sensing, feeling, smelling (rubber, brakes, oil and hot engines), and hearing the race. This race was a six hour endurance race, therefore we moved to different locations around the track throughout the race to observe and sense the cars at different locations around the race track. This allowed my brother to see, and for me to sense how the cars handled the different terrain and corners during braking and acceleration points.  Moving around the track also gave us the chance to stretch our legs and increase blood circulation.

 

While my brother and I were out in the bright sun,  enjoying the fresh air, gentle breeze, and experiencing a wonderful day at the races, my wife Kathy and my brother’s girlfriend were off near the beach having their own enjoyable day shopping and going to yard sales.

 

After our enjoyable day at the races we met up with my wife and my brother’s girlfriend to share a pleasurable and delicious dinner and dessert, before we packed up to leave the next day.

 

I hope my experience of attending an auto race with no eyesight will encourage you to focus on your abilities, adapt to any life altering circumstances that will enable you to participate in activities you enjoy.

 

I also hope we can look beyond our disabilities, differences or temporary challenges and focus on our abilities with a positive can do attitude (with medical advice as required prior to ensure safety) despite any discomfort we might be experiencing.

 

Has anyone left their comfort zone to participate in an activity they would think could be a challenge? Does anyone have examples they want to share? Any other comments to assist in encouraging us to focus on our abilities and to assist us to adapt to any life altering circumstances to participate in activities we enjoy?

 

We all look forward to hearing your comments and experiences.

 

Bill Tipton

 

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Helen Keller Achievement Awards & Exploring NYC Without Eyesight

In June, I was grateful to be invited by my employer to attend a Helen Keller Achievement Awards Ceremony / Dinner presented by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in New York City, NY (NYC), with my wife Kathy, colleagues and other attendees. This trip was my second opportunity to travel on a commercial airline since losing all of my eyesight. After I received the invitation to attend the event, I immediately started my planning and preparation to facilitate a successful trip that would hopefully be as trouble free as possible. I describe my trip preparation in a past blog post I wrote entitled Employee of the Year.

At the Helen Keller Achievement Awards Ceremony / Dinner I truly enjoyed listening to the people who introduced the award recipients, describing the work the recipients do to assist the visually impaired or blind by improving the quality of life, enhancing job opportunities by reducing barriers by increasing accessibility. I also enjoyed listening to the recipients humbly accept their awards and explain some of what they did to achieve this meaningful recognition.

The following day I was invited to go to AFB’s corporate headquarters and take a tour through the Helen Keller archives museum and meet with AFB. Being completely blind myself and belonging to some blind / low vision organizations in my local area, I have heard a few things about Helen Keller. During the tour I was pleased to learn many new things about Helen Keller. Now I have a better understanding of what a wonderful and remarkable person she was, and how she has helped change the world to assist blind, visually impaired, deaf, and hard of hearing, as well as many other people.

SIGHTSEEING with My Wife: The Art of Using All My Senses
This was my first trip to NYC, therefore I wanted to take advantage of my short time in-between meetings and award ceremonies to see (sense) some sights. With my wife Kathy’s assistance we walked on foot paths next to the Hudson River near the 911 Memorial towards Battery Park. Kathy described many wonderful statues, memorials, flowers, trees, old iron fences, old fashion street lamps, and other beautiful and distinctive old style architecture built with many bricks. I took the time to touch some of these objects so I could sense their texture and physical size. This enabled me to more accurately imagine what these objects looked like in my minds-eye. She also described the color and perceived depth and width of the river, as she also described the Statue of Liberty at a distance across the river. She also described the many ferries and boats on the river, and helicopters flying above the river. The same day after our AFB meeting and tour we walked from Madison Square Garden and Pennsylvania (PENN) Station to 26th Street then towards 51st Street, Madison Avenue, Broadway Avenue and many streets in-between. On 34th Street Kathy described Macy’s department store (the largest in the world we were told). She also described the Empire State Building, Time square, Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We went into St. Patrick’s Cathedral and since it was a warm day the cool temperature in the Cathedral was an exhilarating and pleasant treat. We walked throughout this remarkable large old Cathedral as Kathy described the many carvings, statues and stained glass windows. To help me visualize how large this Cathedral is in my minds-eye I felt one of the very large columns that held up a portion of the large roof. The column was so large I could not wrap my arms around it, and it felt like it was made of stone, or a concrete material. I took this opportunity to sit down on one of the many pews in the Cathedral and prayed. After we left the Cathedral we passed Radio City Music Hall, many other landmarks and numerous stores. I truly applaud my wife’s site guiding technique and expertise, walking through NYC, evading hundreds of people, obstacles, yellow cabs, cars, and crossing busy streets with a variety of Hard (90 degree angles) and (Soft) curb cuts that gently sloped down at each intersection. All of this navigation was accomplished while at times I could not hear Kathy’s verbal instructions warning me about upcoming obstacles due to the loud traffic, and sirens from police cars and fire engines. Luckily I have learned to feel Kathy’s body movement with either my left hand on her right shoulder, or right upper arm with my right hand on my support cane while she sight guides me. With this technique I can react to her body movement and not rely on any verbal cues. By the time we did our very quick walking tour of mid town New York, it was getting close to dinner so we searched for a taxi. After observing which streets had the most taxies driving down the streets, we strategically placed ourselves on one of these streets in a location in which a taxi could easily pull up to the curb. By using this technique we soon found a taxi to take us back to our hotel in time for a wonderful dinner with a co-worker. After our wonderful meal and great conversations we went back to our hotel and prepared to leave for home the next day.

The Rest of the Story
Kathy and I had an incredible time listening to the remarkable people who were recognized for their work and received the Helen Keller Achievement Awards, listening about the valuable work AFB is doing to help the blind, visually impaired and visiting NYC briefly. Everyone we met on our trip was thoughtful, courteous and seemed to celebrate life and companionship.

A few days after we returned home we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary. We honored and celebrated our life together, our companionship, devotion and our never ending love that will continue for all eternity. Read another blog post I wrote about our 20th Anniversary entitled:
Anniversaries: What they mean to you.

Have you had the opportunity to take a tour with assistance? This assistance does not need to be sight guiding or verbal descriptions, like the invaluable assistance I received. Maybe you have other challenges or disabilities which require other types of assistance when traveling and sightseeing you want to share? Has anyone attended or received a Helen Keller Achievement Award? Any other thoughts or comments?

We look forward to your comments to help us all grow personally and professionally, and expand our knowledge and awareness.

Bill Tipton
Contributing Author,
Global Dialogue Center
http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton
Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Dining in the Dark: In the Dark

I recently attended an enjoyable and informational Dining in the Dark event hosted by the Foundation Fighting Blindness with my wife Kathy and colleagues.

We all had an enjoyable experience at this valuable event. In my opinion one of the highlights of the evening was listening to the many outstanding researchers, doctors and entrepreneurs talking about their fight to cure certain types of eye diseases and the tools they have developed in an effort to help fight blindness.

 

Another key highlight of the evening was to allow the attendees to experience what it would be like to be completely blind. To assist with creating the appropriate environment, when it was time to be served dinner, all the lights were turned off and all possible light sources were completely blacked-out to engulf the room in complete darkness. None of the attendees were allowed to leave their seats once the lights were turned out during dinner, to help prevent injuries of untrained attendees attempting to walk in complete darkness without the proper orientation and mobility training a person who is blind would receive. When the lights were out I was told it was so dark that you could not see your hand directly in front of your face. I am completely blind and this complete darkness is normal for me.

Waiters who were blind/ visually impaired served our meals in the complete darkness, and then the fun began. I listened to the exploratory and inquisitive voices of the others at our table attempting to determine what was on their plates, and what we were all eating. My technique is to feel the texture and shape of the food from the feedback in my fingers from the utensil touching the food. I can tell the shape of the food by the sensation, and the sound of the utensil touching the border of the food compared to the plate surrounding the food. From a combination of the smell, taste and texture I can mostly tell what I am eating. Comparing our non-visual clues with others at our table, we were able to determine what we were eating. I listened as I heard the others at my table working through their challenges of dining in the dark. Since I have been completely blind for a few years I had no trouble during the Dining in the Dark experience. Soon others at my table asked me my techniques to help them find the food on their plate in complete darkness, which I graciously provided some tips to assist. I believe this type of event is invaluable to allow all of us to get a very short glimpse of what it is like to be completely blind and increase blind / low vision awareness.

 

Has anyone attended a Dining in the Dark event and want to share your experience and describe what was most valuable to you? Even if you have not attended such an event from my description, what do you think you would learn from experiencing such an event? How would events like Dining in the Dark or any other disability awareness events increase your awareness of people with disabilities, enabling all to work more effectively to enhance relationships and productivity in our professional careers and personal lives?

I hope everyone can have the chance to experience a Dining in the Dark event.

We all look forward to hearing your comments and experiences.

 

Bill Tipton

 

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton