As the Emergency First Responders headed toward the front door from our bathroom, I yelled to Tricia from the back of the house, “Get their picture!” Cliff was updating his phone, so he couldn’t help, and she couldn’t remember where she had stashed her purse, which held her phone, when she rushed into the house. Both of them missed a great “Kodak moment”. When did we start reaching for our phones to take pictures?
In all my years of working at schools, I have called 9-1-1 numerous times for various reasons; this time, it was my turn. Honestly, I love those men in uniform, but was it worth the fall?
Falling and the possibility of falling are huge issues with ALS patients. I have not fallen for almost two years. My last big fall I was still working, I sprained my ankle which compromised the strength in my left foot/leg. There is no need to expand on the dangers of falling; we all know and sometimes take those carefully thought-out risks.
This week, trying to pull myself together in the bathroom, much to my chagrin, my legs gave out, and down I went. Fortunately, I was holding on to the grab bars, so it was a slow descent. No harm, no foul, just wounded pride. Cliff called 9-1-1, and Tricia.
Those mighty Firefighters swooped in, swooped me up, and put me in my chair without breaking a sweat. Thankfully, I was not hurt, but I was reminded that I am “walking” on shaky ground. Aren’t we all?
–Susan