Not too long ago I thought I was an "old person" person and not a "kid person" (they say we're either one or the other). I still have those moments where I'm still not very comfortable being someone with a disability, and old people rarely stare or think it's too out of the ordinary to see someone [..}
Being an Inspiration – Even When You Don’t Know It
by on May 10, 2012
Who did you look up to most when you were little? Was it your big brother or sister doing all the cool stuff you wanted to do? Or was it some TV celebrity you tried to emulate? Either way, there's always someone out there we attained to be like, and we still do this as adults. In the disability [..}
Podcast #85: A vent? No big
by on May 3, 2012
In episode #85 of No Free Rides, I'm joined by Jenni Taylor, a positively fabulous woman from Minnesota, who's a C1-C2 vent-dependent quadriplegic and the former Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2011. At 25, she's had more deeper life experiences than anyone I've ever had on the show. [..}
Help Wanted Occasionally, but Don’t Linger
by on April 26, 2012
The concept of help and a spinal cord injury/wheelchair user/disability lifestyle like mine go hand in hand by default. Every day I need help in the morning from personal care assistants. Depending on a number of other circumstances that come up more sporadically I need help reaching things, moving [..}
Getting a Good Night’s Rest
by on April 16, 2012
To say getting a solid night of sleep is challenging when you can‘t move would be one of the greatest generalizations I‘ve ever written. I was already a light sleeper before my injury. It’d usually take me an hour to sleep. I could never relax. And to say these past 19 years of being [..}
Time for a New Wheelchair
by on April 9, 2012
I knew it was time to get a new wheelchair when my joystick stopped working in the rain one day. That was about a year and a half ago. I really should’ve gotten a new chair after having it for five years (like my insurance used to do before the Recession) which was in 2010, but my insurance [..}
Podcast: Joe Stone – Reclaiming the Mountain
by on April 4, 2012
In episode #84 of No Free Rides, I interview Joe Stone, a C7 quad injured while speed flying in Montana (where you parachute down a mountain on foot). We discuss the importance of staying true to your passions despite a life-changing injury, as well as his documentary, Wings to Wheels. [..}
A Great Disabled Artiste – Frida Kahlo
by on March 29, 2012
There are lots of famous artists you should know about, but there's one very special artist you definitely need to know about if you use a wheelchair. Her name is Frida Kahlo and she was an artist who lived in Mexico over 70 years ago. She had Polio and used a wheelchair after a tram [..}
This Past Winter Deserves a High Five
by on March 26, 2012
I have lived my entire life in either Wisconsin (birth through college) or Minnesota (since 2003 when I moved here for law school). In those 33 plus years I have become a well-seasoned winter season veteran who has experienced all kinds of combinations of snowy, icy, and frigid cold conditions in [..}
Turning to “Dr. Internet”
by on March 19, 2012
About ten years ago out of the blue, I woke up one morning to mysteriously find my right thigh red, swollen and hard as a rock. Having no idea what was happening to me, I turned to the internet, not my doctor, to see what was up. It’s easy, accessible and available 24/7, but is it always a good [..}
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