Library Collections: Document: Full Text


The Home And I, No. 2

Creator: Mickie McGraw (author)
Date: 1959
Publication: Toomeyville Jr. Gazette
Source: Gazette International Networking Institute


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Being that my paralysis was not as involved as that of the writers of the previous articles, my problems were not so much adapting my home to me as myself to my home. Because we have a ranch-type house it was not necessary to add ramps for my wheel chair and outside of my portable chest respirator, which I use only at night, I needed no other breathing apparatus.

2  

Under the supervision of the therapists at Toomey Pavilion, my parents and later my sister were taught how to give me my therapy. These exercises, which became nightly rituals, took place on our dining room table. During an exercise in which it was necessary for my father to get on the table with me one of its legs gave way. (One of us had gained weight and I'm sure it wasn't me.) As a result of this mishap our relatives were surprised to find themselves seated around our ping-pong table to partake of their Thanksgiving Day dinner. To prevent a recurrence of a similar situation my father stabilized the table leg and my uncle commenced to build me a therapy table. The table, made of plywood and light weight aluminum pipe, when turned over was used as parallel bars, which could be adjusted to any height.

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My lap board, used constantly for schoolwork, art work, eating, and just reading, never seemed large enough and was difficult to keep clean. (It seems that while painting I sometimes get more paint on myself and my lap board than on the painting itself.) To clear up this problem, the O.T. Department at Toomey built me a much larger board and my dad and a friend covered the top with formica which is very easily kept clean and doesn't scratch.

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I have to lie down part of the day, so a lounge chair in the living room is very convenient because I don't have to go to bed and am able to watch T.V. or read. (I'm also nosey and this way I don't miss anything.) The backboard, which I received with my chair, was the right size when it arrived but as I grew it became inadequate. To remedy this situation my dad put snaps on the board and on the chair enabling the board to be lowered or raised.

5  

Getting in and out of the car is not too much of a problem because my dad lifts me most of the time. Lately, however, as I mentioned before he has been saying that I have gained weight. So when the weather permits I am able, with help from my mother or sister, to get in and out of the car myself.

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Another problem when I first came home was washing and cutting my hair. The first few times it was washed while I lay on my mother's ironing board. Later on, when my perch on the ironing board became too precarious, I was able to sit in my chair and lean over the kitchen sink, while raised by a cushion. My hair is still washed in this manner but without the aid of the cushion. Our experiments in home-hair cutting proved disastrous! My girl friends decided to cut my hair one day but after viewing the results we decided to have it done by someone who knew how. Because of the difficulty in getting to and from the beauty parlor we now have a dresser who comes to our house and does my hair here. My sister, who is my own personal hair-setter, does such a good job that I have no worry on that score.

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I have school three days a week and an art class on one day. The telephone and television take up a great deal of my spare time. I made a try at playing ping-pong but gave it up after a few close plays. (I almost got a black eye.)

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Our whole family enjoys playing scrabble, stadium checkers, and pinochle. Drive-ins and backyard picnics are very popular in the summer time. Last year we had a pig roast in our yard which was very interesting to say the least. Right now finishing high school is the most important thing to me and takes up most of my time.

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