TLP 2025 Summer Camp - Hiking

I used an old TLP Collab - but in the spirit of current designers, I only used items from designers in the shop now: Amy Wolff, Kristin Aagard, Grace in Color, NBK Designs, and Little Butterfly Wings.

Because the journaling is what meets the challenge parameters, here it is easier to read:
My mobility has declined over the past 5 years. I went from not even remembering some days I had MS, to having it slapped in my face. It hurt to walk; it hurt to stand. The fatigue was killing me. I went from being the power walker in the front of my family to being the slowest of the group.

I began with an old cane I used when pregnant with Ada and bought at the pharmacy. I hated using it in public. It was ugly; it screamed "problem". Then I bought a foldable cane and put a Mickey sticker on it. That helped. But it was still weird. I booked scooters at Disney to help with the long days. I was embarrassed. I let people convince me I could leave the scooter at the hotel because it was inconvenient to bring it with to the place we were going.

Then I found my fun canes! I slowly started accepting it and actually used the canes - not only for longer days like college tours, but for short trips into the store. Any time I was going to be on my feet for longer than about 15-20 minutes, and not have a cart or something to hold onto, I used it.

Then, I decided I didn't want to rent scooters anymore, and hated the inconvenience of them - though I thought in the back of my mind that one day I might buy my own. Instead, I bought myself a rollator. It helped. Trips to the museum, where it was more standing than walking was amazing with this new device that allowed me to sit down when needed. It helped on voting days; it helped on college tours; it helped on cruise ships. It was my new walking/standing lifesaver. But, it still didn't help me with the fatigue on longer days on vacations.

Enter my new 3-in-1 device! It can be used as a rollator, a push wheelchair, and an electric wheelchair! I've only used it twice, but what a difference! I was able to come home from a three day trip to Universal and I didn't spend the next two days in bed recovering from the fatigue! I have gone from being embarrassed and feeling like an inconvenience for needing to have a bit of assistance, to accepting it, buying what I want, and thinking to myself that those that think it's inconvenient or embarrassing are the issue - not me! Yes, I look normal. Yes, I look like I am not disabled. But I am. Recently I heard a talk about disability and it was described in a way that blew me away. I'd never really thought about it in this way. The person said that a disability doesn't mean that someone can't do something - it means that it takes them longer to do something. So yes, I can walk across a college campus on a tour - but it is going to take me longer than the "normal" person and it means I need assistance to do it. I loved the way it was described, and it has helped me accept the term "disabled". I now use the tools I need to keep up in a world where I would be left behind without them.