My Father, My First "Wheelchair"

    What I am today, I owe it all to my parents. My father, who died on July 13, 2017 embraced my disability with a commitment to make my life better, the best way he could.

      As a child living in an inaccessible environment, my father was my feet as we "walked" endlessly. He was my lift or elevator as he passed through unending stairs with his hands carrying me just for me to reach high places. He was my car, as he drove and accompanied me to every kiddy and teenage parties I want to attend just so I would not be left behind my friends' activities. I am happy to say that I did not miss a thing in my growing up years because daddy was my mother's strong support and ally in a difficult way of raising a child afflicted with polio who had no hope of being able to walk again.

     As a little girl, my father was the one and only reader of my writings. I believe my early works were really bad, but my dad was there to motivate me to keep on writing. My readers increased when I got into our high-school publication. I was an awkward teenager who was shy about my works, but my father unceasingly read all my articles with compliments and so I kept on writing. That went on until I graduated from college. 

      My job hindered me to write. Accounting is always about figures and analyses. However, thirteen years later, I became a technical writer for a mayor, and it went on to my current job in another department. However, I did not do some creative writings and essays such as this one.

      Then on July 13, 2017, alone, I witnessed my father being resuscitated in the emergency room of the hospital. The doctor told me that he arrived there without a heartbeat, but still, they performed the hospital protocols as they waited for me .Technically he was already dead when I arrived. But for the last time, I still spoke to him as if he could hear me.

      This blog page was created few months after he died. I also made a page on Facebook, became a local blogger, and an active Google Local Guide Accessibility Reviewer. I did not plan all of these. Invitations just came for me to write on these platforms. I felt like my dad has some role on these opportunities that had been arriving in my life lately. I believe that in his afterlife, my father still supports my writing career.

       I have always wanted to improve the lives of persons with disabilities yet I don't know how as I am powerless. But this blog page has now become one of my ways to do it. As my father inspired me to keep on going, I hope to inspire you too. Go to places you can, and reach the farthest you can be I hope my blogs will help people with disabilities. Because once in my life, my dad had been my human wheelchair and pushed me to where I am now.

Me, my father and my mother on an island hopping weekend adventure.