Just like a puppet on a string

All of us living with Kennedy's Disease have had moments that would make anyone laugh. I have mentioned several of my moments in this blog. Yes, at the time they were embarrassing, but afterward most of these experiences are cause for a good laugh.

Yesterday, I was talking with Mike, a friend living with Kennedy's Disease. He mentioned a fall that occurred while on vacation this year. I was telling my wife about the fall last night and she was laughing (almost in tears) as she visualized the moment. Significant others have to have a sense of humor about these situations also. Well, in honor of another great moment in Kennedy's Disease history, I will tell Mike's story to let everyone know that these strange events just do not happen to me.

Mike's wife dropped him off near the door of a McDonalds to minimize his walk while she looked for a parking place. The first thing Mike noticed was a six-inch curb without any ramp in sight. Using his cane, he began to step up onto the raised sidewalk. The curb was just a little too high, however, and he could not get the other leg up. Mike did a graceful controlled-fall as he spun around to sit down on the edge of the curb. Fortunately, there were no injuries ... just a little tarnished pride.

Two women walked out the door right when he fell and saw Mike sitting. They asked if they could help. He graciously thanked them, but said no that he could probably make it up himself. Unfortunately, he could not and he continued to sit there. Then a man came by and asked if he could help. Mike told him to grab his belt from behind and lift him up. Anyone who has been there knows that the belt lift is only designed to assist the person in gaining control of his legs while standing up. The man, in this case, was stronger than he looked and he lifted Mike straight up into the air.

Mike's butt was now in the air, but his legs were barely touching the ground while his head was just slightly off the ground. Mike commented that he felt like a marionette (string puppet) being held in the air by his butt. He did not have enough strength to raise his upper body, so he just hung there for a moment. He quickly considered all the options and asked the two women that were still standing there observing the situation to grab his arms and help him straighten up.

Afterward he realized how fortunate he was that he did not have any injuries ... other than his pride.

So there, it is not just me that ends up in these crazy situations.

I would love to hear your favorite story about a moment in time that you had to forget about your pride and just hope that someone came along to help. It helps soothe my bruised ego.