October 15, 2019 —
By Frances Kolarek —
My best wishes for the New Year to all who are kind enough to read my blog. Apologies for the hiatus.
Here goes with a new slant on mobility and independence-—privileges we tend to take for granted until we come a cropper like Don Singer, a Collington resident.
The potential loss of mobility, with its threat to our independence, is something we all face with the advancing years. Walkers, aka as rollators, offer help with balance when we can persuade our legs to perform their natural function. But what if our legs say ”No”? Then what’s the answer?
When Don Singer, who ran the Boston Marathon in 2005, lost the use of a left leg that quit on him, he faced a learning experience of major proportions. First, he had to learn how to handle the mechanics of his loss of mobility. Then he needed to confront his sorely impacted independence. As one would expect from a marathoner, Don looked each challenge squarely in the eye and gave them both the finger.
He talked to me seated in his wheel chair, his legs fully extended, wearing a bright yellow T-shirt inscribed with details about a 2009 run in Annapolis, when, Don says apologetically, he chose to run only the half, rather than the full course.
The chair is not motorized. Don propels it by hand, an exercise which helps retain his upper body strength. The loss of his leg stems from pressure on a nerve, the result of a cancer. Treated for some time for Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a mistaken diagnosis, the cancer was discovered only after a belated MRI.
Don clings stubbornly to such small but important activities as standing to brush his teeth, relying on his undamaged right leg and hoping he will not topple over. Independence prevails!
His wife, Mary McCutchan, “has a tendency to ’baby’ me,” he confesses. But last year he insisted she take advantage of a month-long visit to southern France to participate in a French language program.
It was a challenge, but he weathered the weeks successfully with the help of aides who arrived each morning ”to make sure I was still there,” he explains with a smile. And to stand by for the morning tooth-brushing routine, as well.
The fact that he has given up driving, and is reluctant to even try to drive a car, is his greatest regret. Driving would provide an element of freedom from his daily routines, as well as a welcome change of scene. And independence.
Don is retired from the staff of The National Archives branch in College Park, Md. He contributes carefully researched articles to The Collingtonian, our resident-published monthly newsletter, and is a familiar figure propelling his wheel chair along our corridors. And he continues to welcome the opportunity to demonstrate his independence. Go, Don!
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