[Shannon S. Child]

We need to remember that each person living with MG has a different journey!  I’m glad to see that you both are able to walk gingerly to wherever you need to go.  That has not been my experience.  I took me a long to come to terms with the fact that I did need a handicap placard.  It’s discouraging to feel “less than” you want to be.  It’s a constant reminder of my new normal.  However, I am no longer able to go on long walks and hikes, which I used to enjoy.  Instead, my husband and I are limited to walking around our small block, so I’m never too far from home, in case my “legs” decide they no longer want to function as they once did…so I don’t have to call an Uber to get home (which may only be 1/2 mile away, but may take me over an hour due to the frequent breaks I require to make it home).  I want to be able to enjoy open air markets, street fairs, and sporting events, and my son’s recent high school graduation without the anxiety that comes from knowing I may not be able to make it back to my car without my husband having to support me in a way that makes others look at me like I’ve had too much to drink.  Having a handicap placard is not a “reward” or something I took lightly.  I went through a grieving process realizing that I am no longer who I once was, that this is my new reality.  My doctor encouraged me to get a walker (mostly for balance and to be able to sit down when I need too).  I’m still reluctant to admit I need that much help.  I’m a teacher, on my feet a lot.  Instead, I carry a lightweight stool when I leave my classroom. My students ask me if all the teachers need to sit down to watch their kids on the playground or to wait for them outside the special area classroom (I worry the perception is that I’m lazy, but it is what I need to do to make it through the day).  I am thankful I can still teach.  I’m grateful for each day, even at the end of the day, when I walk with complete and total exhaustion to the handicap spot where I parked, that allows me to go to work at a job I LOVE.  Even when I have to call my husband from the driveway at home to help me out of the car and into the house because my legs no longer will support my body.  Even when at home, I can only go up the stairs of our two-story home at the end of the evening when it’s time to go to bed.  Asking for help, needing help, accepting help, is not a sign of weakness.  I am thankful that I have a little extra help to live a “normal” life.  But I’d give almost anything not to NEED it!  And I’m positive, if given the opportunity, nobody would willingly changes places with me (or others with similar MG experiences) to have a handicap placard!