ON THE SUNDAY EVENING OF Labor Day Weekend, after a delightful dinner with close friends, I tripped over one of those ubiquitous electric rent-a-scooters.
asserted
I → trip → scooters
I went down hard, landing on my knee and arm, though luckily not hitting my head.
asserted
I → go → head
At home that night, I couldn’t even bend my left elbow enough to remove my earrings or necklace.
asserted
I → bend → earrings
For those who know me well, the surest sign of injury is that I couldn’t summon the strength in my left hand or arm to floss my teeth.
asserted
I → know → teeth
A couple of days later, I got an x-ray and confirmed that the arm was indeed fractured at the elbow.
asserted
arm → get → elbow
I relate this tale not to seek your sympathy—though who doesn’t welcome a little lovingkindness in this world?—but to make a point about gratitude.
asserted
who → relate → gratitude
I am thankful that, for the most part, my body works.
asserted
body → work → part
Without a functioning left hand, it becomes a challenge to do ordinary things like pull on your socks, pants, shirts, and jackets.
asserted
it → function → socks
Tying shoes is a task!
asserted
Tying → tie → shoes
Simple gestures like plugging the charger cable into your phone require contortions.
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gestures → plug → contortions
To fasten a seat belt on the driver’s side, I have to reach over my left shoulder with my right hand.
asserted
I → fasten → hand
You can’t unscrew a soda bottle or a jar of peanut butter—to say nothing of mixing, stirring, chopping, slicing, and the various other two-handed motions involved in preparing food.
asserted
You → unscrew → food
And speaking of opening things, the fiends at the Kenvue consumer health company have designed Tylenol bottles to be child-proof—which also means that they are impossible to open with one hand.
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they → speak → hand
My pain and inconvenience are temporary though, which is a good reminder of the people who live with disabilities forever.
asserted
who → live → disabilities
I had been marveling just last week about Josh Turek, who’s running for Senate in Iowa.
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who → marvel → Iowa
Born with spina bifida, Turek would go on to become an Paralympian in wheelchair basketball.
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Turek → bear → basketball
This man has an iron will.
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man → have → will
Here’s a description of his early years from the New York Times:
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description → ’ → Times
The Tureks’ oldest boy [Josh] had surgery after surgery on his clubfoot, his faulty hips and his stunted spine.
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boy → have → clubfoot
He didn’t crawl until he was 3.
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he → crawl → ?
He didn’t walk until he was 5.
asserted
he → walk → ?
He lugged his legs with a herky-jerky gait until he started using a wheelchair at 10.
asserted
he → lug → 10
He was bullied so badly that he moved to Missouri for middle school, living with his great aunt and attending the Christian school where she taught.
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she → bully → school
When he was campaigning door-to-door for a state House seat in 2022, Turek would sometimes drag himself and his wheelchair up stairs to knock on people’s front doors.
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Turek → campaign → doors
This caused more than a few eyebrows to rise in amazement.
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eyebrows → cause → amazement
“Always, the first question is, ‘How in the world did you get up here?’” Turek recounted.
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Turek → get → world
“And I say, ‘I dragged my wheelchair up here.
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I → say → wheelchair
That’s how important your vote is.’”
asserted
vote → ’ → ?
Sen. Bob Dole lived 77 of his 98 years without the use of his right arm and hand.
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Dole → live → arm
Serving with the 10th Mountain Division in Italy during World War II, Dole was struck by a German shell that shattered his collarbone and shoulder and damaged part of his spine.
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that → serve → spine
He was paralyzed from the neck down when medics reached him.
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medics → paralyze → him
Assuming he would die, they gave him the biggest possible safe dose of morphine and drew an M on his forehead in his own blood to warn other medics against accidentally killing him with more.
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they → assume → more
Transported back home to Kansas for treatment, he spent three long years in military hospitals, relearning every task of life.
asserted
he → transport → life
The paralysis gradually receded, but Dole never regained the use of his right arm or hand.
asserted
Dole → recede → arm
He habitually carried a pen in his permanently closed fist to deter people from attempting to shake that hand.
asserted
He → carry → hand
Throughout his life, he struggled with dressing, eating, and personal care.
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he → struggle → dressing
Also treated at the same hospital was Daniel Inouye, who lost his arm fighting in Italy, and Philip Hart, who was wounded on D-Day.
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who → treat → Day
The three became friends and later served together; Inouye as senator from Hawaii and Hart as senator from Michigan.
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three → become → Michigan
Many people suffer with handicaps that are not obvious to the naked eye.
asserted
that → suffer → eye
I recently learned that a friend has tinnitus.
asserted
friend → learn → tinnitus
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
