The day is here. The time is now. I have a new wheelchair!

It’s certainly been a long time coming, and I’m not 100% convinced that it needed to be such a long time, but the end result is the same; I finally have a much more appropriate wheelchair. The ‘Argon 2’ made by the aptly named ‘Quickie’ is my new steed, and she is a beauty! Not quite to the spec I, well, expected, but I’m absolutely over the moon. Obviously I can’t remember exactly, but I thought I’d ordered it with a bit more Orange, specifically on the forks, but a little detail like that is not going to be a deal breaker especially when it would most likely mean another long wait.

As of now, I can start to live an independent life, to a much greater degree than I have previously been allowed. I can use the car by myself, without help getting in and out (or at least I’ll be able to soon), I can get around so much easier, and more importantly I can build my skills as a wheelchair user and become more confident.

I picked the chair up yesterday, which I admit was slightly unexpected. Thankfully no major adjustment was needed, and I was able to take the chair with me! Normally these handovers take place with a rep from the company and a therapist, but that would have meant waiting until the end of September for the next available appointment. After being unable to attend my last appointment, the prospect of waiting so long was simply too much, so thankfully wheelchair services managed to fit me in without the rep. As I’ve said I really wasn’t expecting to come away with a new chair, so it was a nice surprise!

So far I am really liking it, although it is a huge change. There are no armrests, the back is MUCH lower, and overall it is so much lighter. The footplate is a lot lower to the ground and the castors are much smaller, meaning that avoiding/ overcoming obstacles is quite interesting. All of this combined makes it much more nimble and maneuverable, however it does come at the cost of having to support my own form a lot more. My back is killing me, but in a good way for once, and as I use it everyday I’ll soon get used to it and feel better. . I really can’t complain even if I wanted to, as it is so much better in every way. I need to properly get to work in the gym now though, as the more I ‘Improve’ the easier I will find everything, from transfers to everyday living. I have the tools I need in my posession now, and I am very grateful for that. Now onwards and upwards!