• Blogs,  Swimming With MS

    Next Essential – Duct Tape!

    Duct tape was originally known as duck tape – quack quack, thus the original green colour . The uses are unending for everyone, but there are specifics for people with disabilities. When travelling from Rarotonga International Airport, Cook Islands, to our tropical oasis on the far side of the island, my chair was strapped to the roof of the aged transport van, not very securely I might add. My chair, taking a lesson from the local white tailed monkeys, took a mighty leap from the roof of the van into the thick jungle foliage. Result: one cracked, dysfunctional foot pedal. At the beginning of a three week expedition! Duct tape…

  • Blogs,  Swimming With MS

    It’s Ok Guys I Can Swim

    After lunch, the small tour boat dropped us along the south-western shore. We wandered along the coastline, seeking a village that hadn’t changed much in the last 200 years. The small population of the settlement lived in natural fibre huts, cooked over open fires, and wove baskets that were used for everything – storing food, clothing, carrying babies, tipped upside down to serve as tables and chairs. Seashells were also multi-purpose – dishes, cups, jewellery, decoration. Reaching the village was an obstacle course for those on feet. For someone using a wheelchair it seemed impossible but my friend Bill and two other willing travellers lifted me and my chair over…

  • Blogs,  Travelling the World with MS

    Essential for all Travellers – Baby Powder

    Take the advice of American Express – “Don’t leave home without it!” I use baby powder because it smells nicer than talcum. There are many more uses than sprinkling on a baby’s bum! Accessibility is enhanced by this simple product. Some airlines require that people with disabilities sit by the window. A sliding board can help the move across three seats from the isle to the window. If a board is not available, and the seats are vinyl, a sprinkle of baby powder will help. In some countries sheets are canvas-like; soften them with baby powder. If you do not have a sliding board, baby powder will help you skim…

  • Blogs,  Swimming With MS

    Finding a way to swim – Tahiti

    North American flights to Tahiti land in Papeete at 1:30 a.m. and small planes fly to the local islands only in daylight. After thirty-six hours on airplanes and twelve hours of airport stopovers, I arrived on Moorea, one of the most popular Tahitian islands. This extended travel time compromised my well-being. My muscles were stiffer and I was more immobile than I wanted to be. What was the best way to deal with it? My best option is always to SWIM!  A Princess cruise ship was anchored in the harbour. The water was tranquil, clear, and inviting. I donned a swimsuit, slipped into the water and began my swim across…

  • Blogs,  Swimming With MS

    Finding a way to swim – Oaxaca

    When travelling internationally, finding a place to swim and maintaining the determination to do so, can be difficult. Carrying a bathing suit, a cap, goggles, and a towel or chamois is an ingrained habit. You never know when the opportunity will arise. I can’t expect a pool with neat lines painted on the bottom, a sophisticated lift, and a lifeguard. Lakes, oceans, pools, and seas throughout the world have given me rewarding, invigorating, frightening, fun, and crazy experiences. People are sometimes amazed that despite the fact that I cannot walk, I can certainly swim. Oaxaca, Mexico, located in the foothills of the Sierra Madre (Spanish for mother mountain range) is…

  • Blogs,  Swimming With MS

    Different Strokes for Different Folks

            This is serious stuff. There are lots of reasons why I keep fit.         In 1974, A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians, a working document, written by Canada’s Minister of Health and Welfare, Marc Lalonde, was published. This significant work addressed the limitations of the traditional views in health care. It discussed the health status of the Canadian population and proposed alterations in lifestyle that would ultimately lead to a healthier Canadian population. Our long-established health-care system focuses on curing illness rather than maximizing health and preventing disease. Included in Lalonde’s nine points of positive action: ‘Exercise and fitness are better than sedentary living and lack of…

  • Blogs,  Travelling the World with MS

    The Invisible Disability

    I have not walked for 20 years. Mobilizing in a wheelchair is a natural part of life. I always think that the first thing that people see is the wheelchair. They immediately register that I am different. I have had some experiences that confirmed for me that the disability is not the most important part of my person. In Beijing in 1989, it was unacceptable for people with a disability to appear in the community. It was one thing to be a woman travelling alone; it was quite another to be a woman mobilizing in wheelchair, travelling alone. At that time, people with an obvious disability were not accepted with…

  • Blogs,  Mount Everest 2008

    Embrace Your Dreams

    In the winter of 2008, the idea began to foliate.  Erik Bjarason, the founder of Courage to Carry On, was planning a trip with mountaineering companions, to scale Mount Everest.  He wanted to include people with disabilities as far as the Base Camp.  The timing of the March expedition was in conflict with Tibetan protesters so the decision to climb in October with Eion White, manager of Sherpa Encounters, was finalized.  Douglas Reid (a quadriplegic) and myself (MS x 25 years) embarked on intensive planning and fund raising. There are additional considerations and costs for people with disabilities – a larger component of porters, selection of manageable guesthouses, transport of…

  • Blogs,  Travelling the World with MS

    It All Started With Words From My Past

      In 1966, I graduated from high school with my senior matriculation. The movement from province to province in my high school years gave me the net benefit of completing the equivalent of a first university year at the age of 17. There it was in 1966 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in black-and-white, for all to see, page 15 of the 1966 Westwood Collegiate yearbook:                     Linda Carter: Ambition: To travel. Probable destination: discount viagra Men, who suffer from low testosterone levels, usually experience low libido and reduced erectile function. Take this drug precisely as recommended by your spe soft tab cialist. Yeah, that’s viagra no consultation right – not something you…