You see I used to love to walk and I would go miles and miles with my dog's, over hill's. field's, streams and moors and I never once stopped to think how lucky I was.
But then I had my son an amazing and wonderful thing, that sadly took away my freedom.
You see my labour with my son was very long 53 hours in total and although I tried to get through it with just gas and air, by the time e got to hour 50 I was exhausted. The midwives had been trying to get me to have an epidural for awhile afraid that I would not have the strength to push when the time came, but I had resisted, hour 50 however, I admitted defeat and the epidural was a heavenly relief, at last I could close my eye's and sleep, something I hadn't been able to do, since the labour started. As I lay there, free from pain, I was oblivious to how those few pain free hours, would result in a lifetime of agonising back pain.
So now, I can stand for just a few minutes, walking even to the top of my short road is impossible and because I loved to walk, I had never learned to drive and didn't want to.
For 4 and a half years I became a prisoner in my own home, because of my own body. Only able to get out with my husband at weekends and the odd evening, when he would drive and even then only able to go, where the car could go, there was no getting out and walking around the shops, as we would have before.
I felt completely alone, lost, trapped and then my son time to start school drew closer and I had no idea how I was going to be able to get him to the bus, it was this and this alone that made me admit that I needed help and I got it.
The motability scheme has given me back my freedom in the form of a little blue mobility scooter that I have named Speedy McNipster, now I can walk my dogs again, in fact we went ten miles today, I can nip to the shop, collect my son from school, I can escape my home, on my own. I can to a degree be normal, once again.
In life we take so much for granted, we think that this is how our life will always be, that nothing could ever go wrong, but in the blink of an eye it can all change, I appreciate the freedom I now have, it doesn't come close to how my life used to be, but it is a vast improvement on the 4 and a half years I spent trapped in my own home.
A mobility scooter, a fairly good one, will set you back over £3000 pounds, then their is insurance, recovery if you break down, a complete must if you can't walk and the cost's of keeping it charged which are actually very reasonable and lastly a regular service, because this after all is replacing your legs, so it needsto be reliable.
I couldn't have got speedy without the motability scheme, I wouldn't have been able to get my son to school, or be able to take him to the park.
There are two point's I am trying to make here, the first is that we all must live our lives to the full, be thank full for all we have, and cherish every moment because we never know when things might change and the second, is don't misjudge others, everyday I hear stories of people complaining about those who receive disability living allowance, and obtain cars or mobility scooters through the motability scheme.
Although there are those who make false claim's, there are hundreds more who genuinely need that service and for those of us who do, it is a life saver, giving us back our freedom.
take care all and thanks for reading xxx
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