I got the new chair today. It's an ultra lightweight Quickie GPV. VERY light compared to the monster I've been in for the last 6 weeks. It weighs 21 pounds with the wheels on, compared to the 35 pounds the one I was using. The wheels pop off with literally a push of a button so I can sit, pop the wheels off one at a time while holding the frame up with one hand. The back folds down so you can then just lift the frame into the car. Amazing. It's a beautiful blue (my favorite color). The foot rest bar is solid and at 80 degrees so I can wheel right up to the stove, etc. It also means that I can bend over in the chair and pick things off the floor. The center of gravity is set so it won't tip forward when I lean that far forward. YEAH. More freedom. Means I won't have to ask anyone to pick something up off the floor for me. I have to wait for Mark to come home to really get out in it though. They didn't put the brakes on it (?!?&), and I don't have the hand strength to do it myself. So, I wait until he comes back home to really take it for a drive and make friends with it. I know that this chair will give me a lot more freedom than I've had for awhile. I couldn't lift the other chair to go anywhere alone. So I'm really excited about that. Yet....part of me looks at the chair and sees it as a reflection of personal failure. On a rational level, I know it's not. However, the irrational part of me looks at it, all shiny and new, and sees it as a sign that I have either given up or been defeated by the MS. I'm hoping that the chair will eventually become something I only use periodically, just for energy conservation. As long as I continue to fall on a regular basis I know I'm safer in the chair. So, right now, it is what it is.....
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