Get there by foot. Or by Hand.

 It happened over time. My foot kept getting weaker and weaker, drop foot. Forget about walking, how was I going to get anywhere? I live in New Jersey, where are you pretty much need to get around in a car or wait for public transportation. Being from Brooklyn, it’s not just a quick hop on the B68 on Coney Island Avenue to get to Kings Plaza mall. There is no quick cop out here, and everything is pretty spread out. That’s one of the reasons we migrated to New Jersey, this year space. When things spaced out, to get somewhere you’re going to need your wheels. One day when I was driving to a doctors appointment in another county,.

On my way to I80, driving by myself, I was getting nervous approaching the entrance. My foot intern got weaker and I couldn’t step on the guess when someone was honking me to move. Yes we still have those people out here, they didn’t just exisf in Brooklyn, I realize that I could not get there in confidence without thinking I might be a danger on the road, especially a highway.

I called my mom for assistance to help get me out of there, and I parked in a Burger King parking lot waiting for her to come by car service to drive my SUV back home. I had called to reschedule my doctors appointment so I wasn’t worried about missing it. I was more worried about getting into a crash on the road.

While I was waiting for my mom I had an epiphany. I knew that I could not drive the way I had before so I started to do research as soon as I got home.

I had read an article in momentum magazine, from the MS society, about a man who drove with hand controls. I remember this article always because I knew that my foot at some point would get progressively weaker. My type of MS is progressive MS. So I research how to change my own car to hand controls, and there was another step in the process that I would have to take. I needed to take lessons with a rehabilitation specialist to find out what kind of hand controls would be right for me. We had a few lessons any local Strip mall/supermarket parking lot, and I found that I was most comfortable pushing with my left hand on a bar to the left of my knee, and pulling to break. There is a chain attached to my accelerator and brake with a long metal rod attached to this stick. Depending on which way I push or pull it pushes or pulls on the appropriate pedal.

It took me a couple of months to get used to the feel, and for my brain to remember not to use my foot, and how deep to press to break comfortably for all passengers in the vehicle, especially on a turn. That was tricky.

In order to drive with one hand, eating is a little tricky, but I shouldn’t be eating and driving anyway.  Changing a knob on the radio, turning up or down the AC, maneuvering my iPhone to be put on a dock for GPS. There were a few things I needed to learn, but it is very empowering to be able to roll up in style, getting there by hand. It’s like I have a secret that many would not know.

If there’s something that you want to do, believe that you will be able to do it. You just have to find a way that works for you. Adapt, never quit.