Experiencing and Fearing Disability

As mentioned in class discussion, disability is fact that we will all have confront sooner or later, if some of us haven't already. Two points have come to my mind while thinking about disability. First off is my own experience with a disability, albeit a non-permanent one. The second is the knowledge of family medical history and the fear we have knowing we may someday inherit these disabilities.

In high school I was an avid, if not average, track and cross country runner. I enjoyed long training runs and short sprints alike and I made most of my friends through running. Unfortunately, during my sophomore year I started experiencing painful sensations in my thighs and had to stop running. During this period I was afraid that I would never be able to run or exercise again. In addition it was difficult to go up and down stairs, making it likely I would, in fact, be disabled to a certain extent. I wouldn't be able to pursue in one of my favorite activities during the prime of my youth, not to mention exercising and spending valuable time practicing and socializing with my friends. To be sure it wouldn't be as bad as many disabilities, but the fear of this confronted me with the fact that life could be a lot more difficult than I though it was.

Luckily, to make a long story short it was determined I would need to get hip arthroscopies on both of my hips. I was faced with the prospect of six weeks on crutches for both hips, plus rehab. Here again I experienced briefly the life of a disabled person. I had my first surgery during the summer but my second one was done during the school year. My school had no elevators, so unless my classes were on the first floor of a building I was unable to go to class and thus stuck in the library. While it was cool at first to skip class soon I had trouble keeping up with work and class content. In addition I eventually became sick of people asking what was wrong with me and why I was on crutches. Again, this was certainly not as serious and permanent like many disabilities but it still allowed me to experience a little bit what it is like to be disabled and restricted in what one does. To make another long story short, I eventually recovered and have gone back to running, in case anybody wanted closure.

As mentioned in class we will all be disabled at some point in our lives. Whether that be through an accident or old age makes no difference. If it is through old age, it is easy to see what type of problems one may face based on family medical history and even the experiences of still living parents and grandparents. I know personally, if I should live long enough, that I will face certain conditions and illnesses that run in the family. It's one thing to try to put yourself in the shoes of someone who has a disability, it's another to confront the fact that you will almost inevitably be disabled by a disease you already know about. Hopefully it will serve as inspiration for people to live healthily and treasure life, as it is indeed precious and fleeting. It's our job, as fortunate people who are able, to live life as best we can until the point where we are disabled .