Not many people know but at the start of the school year I took a job with a long time friend of mine who is disabled. When he was in the first grade he was diagnosed with Muscular Distrophy. I first met him when I was in 6th grade when the new middle school was built and all of the county elementary schools merged together for the 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Back then he was being wheeled around in a manual wheelchair and to get in and out of vehicles they had to pick him up and set him in the van. Througout the years his condition has progressed and has taken away more of his movement.
When I first met him I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what was actually wrong with him. I didn't know if he was mentally retarded or if he broke his leg and couldn't walk for a while or what. I first talked to him and found out his specifics. I found that he was a really nice guy and he was very happy to just live his life. He put no fault on anyone that he had this disease and that was very selfless. It took a while for him to open up to me fully because him being in a wheelchair he was shy. Throughout middle school we became very good friends talking about sports and girls and stuff. There were times where I got to wheel him to class.
He got his first power wheelchair in 8th grade and we thought it was awesome. It was so expensive and we use to push the horn button on it and it would embarass him but it was all in fun. They ended up having a lot of problems with his first power wheelchair and in the 10th grade he got his 2nd power wheelchair which he currently has now. In middle school he got his van that he has currently that has a lift in there that allows him to get in and out with the push of a button.
I think that it is great that technology has progressed so far that now they have vans that you don't even have to lower a lift or anything. If they had one of those vans he wouldn't have some of the trouble he has getting in and out. They also have vans that have driving control that have the brake and gas on the steering wheel. He doesn't have the arm strength to drive but if he did the technology is out there. I am all for the changing in technology not only to make work and pleasure of life easier but to make the life of one of my best friends easier and more fullfilling. This job has taught me a lot not only to value what I have but to how awesome it is to know how great of an attitude my friend has about everything and how important that is in life.
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