I decided after a pen exploded in my immense
carryall bag I used for work, that I wanted to replace it with something more
compact that I could fit all my vital things in and not have to dig for them.
With my limited budget in mind I looked on EBay and after searching around for
a while, I found the perfect item. I immediately chose the Buy It Now option.
It was a small, neutral black leather bag with a long cross body shoulder
strap. It had side zippers and a flap that folded over and sealed with a
magnetic snap. When it was unfolded, all of my different types of cards fit in
the provided slots perfectly, there was a spacious section for paper money, a
separate zippered change section, several little secret areas I could put
important papers in and a Velcro sealed pocket on the back of the bag where I
could put my cell phone and my business cards. Everything fit!
I
am a woman with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis and have been wheelchair
and bed – bound for the past three years. Prior to this minor inconvenience, I
was very active; traveling throughout the United States and Canada, working as
a library director at a small college and having an active political, social
and personal life. But no matter where I was, or what I was doing there was one
guarantee; my little black bag, fondly referred to as my wallet on a string,
was always hanging by my side.
I’ve had my wallet on a string for over 10 years and it has served
me well throughout all my life changes. I remember strolling jauntily through
the streets of Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island with my wallet on a
string. The next year the wallet and I were back, but this time I was using a
cane. Two years later, we were back again, but I was on a handicapped scooter.
I think we came back one more time, but my disease had progressed and traveling
long distances had become a painful chore rather than a pleasure. I’ve gone
back often in my mind and my wallet is always hanging across me.
My partner and I have enjoyed visiting all sorts of unique
locales, events and merchants in the past and hope to continue to do this well
into the future. In the United States, we don't have many accessibility
problems because of the ADA, but Canada is another story. We traveled with
ramps and that addressed some of the issues but sometimes additional measures
were required. For example, the hotel that advertised as being accessible and
it was once you got past the three steps to get in the door which was higher
than my portable ramp could handle
The wallet on a string
opened and tips were passed out that resulted in the maintenance man coming in
on a Sunday and finding something to use as a long ramp so I could get in. And
then there was the Curling Championships at a local rink in Prince Edward
Island that had four steps to get in and no ramp… But I got in my manual
wheelchair and the folks organizing the event sent out four burly young men who
bodily picked me up in the wheelchair and took me in where the wallet and I
promptly supported their curling organization since the guys would not take
money for themselves.
These
days, the adventures of my wallet and I are much tamer. It sits on the hospital
table beside me every day and I’m always going through it, either for cash,
credit cards or various types of insurance cards and information. It contains
my life.
I
don’t want to give the impression the wallet, my partner and I don’t get out
now that life has become more difficult. We’ve just had to change how we do
things now that I am in a power chair when I am out and about. We stick closer
to home; Baltimore, Washington DC, Rehoboth Beach and Niagara Falls for
example. We travel for shorter periods of time, usually long weekends. My
partner does all the packing these days; she knows what I like to wear and I
trust her to not stick me with clothing options that are not ‘me‘. I do run
through a mental checklist with her about what we should bring. The last item
that is snatched off my bedside table before I roll out the door is the wallet
on a string. Because we are concerned that the string will become tangled in
the power chair controls, I don’t usually wear it. It goes into a backpack
hanging on the back of the wheelchair, but it comes out whenever I need it.
Recently, I discovered how important my
wallet on a string had become. My partner was driving me back from a doctor’s
appointment and for some reason I had the bag on my lap. I am prone to car
sickness, we were stuck in stop and go traffic and it just did not agree with
me. My bag was a casualty of the next occurrence. My partner suggested that it
was a lost cause and I that I should throw it out. My mom came to the rescue
and took it home with her to clean it. It was when I did not have the bag that
I discovered how important it really was. The contents of my bag were spread
all over my bedside table and I couldn't find anything. I spent several days crabbing
and whining over the lack of organization in my life. I also missed looking
over at it and remembering my more carefree days.
A short time later, my mother returned with
my precious wallet on a string in hand. I won't go into details about its
condition when she took it or what she had to do to clean it. The most
important thing was that it was back and better than ever. I immediately filled
it back up with the cards, money and things that littered my table. I then thanked
my mom profusely for saving what I then recognized was a symbol to me of my
past journeys and my future potential.
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