Two Great Days

With spring a week old, my schedule started this week with two day's of outings in a row. Thankfully, both went very well.

Thursday was my first doctor's appointment for 2026 and the first with my new chair. I have seen the same dermatologist for over 25 years and highly recommend him to anyone who asks. However, he was having shoulder trouble the last two times I saw him and we utilized his gaggle of nurses to help transfer me from my chair to the exam table in order to see my skin problems.

As two nurses and my caregiver strategized my transfer, the doctor joined the growing crowd and said he could help. After noting my new chair, he got under my arms to help with a coordinated transfer with the team. This is when my chair's back support was noted. Unlike the soft, pliable, support of my previous chair, this one is solid and requires me to be lifted over it instead of the support giving way.

With some extra muscle power, I was soon laying flat, and in one piece, as the team dispersed and my lower half became exposed. The doctor said this was the best he had seen my pressure area look in a very long time and was very pleased with it. My new chair may have it's annoyances, but it does keep me a little straighter and has less pressure on my seat cushion. All this has resulted in the doctor saying I have a good looking rump. The same team reassembled and soon had me back in my chair.

While in the Des Moines area, I again went to the chair company and had the electronics adjusted. My top speed was set to 60% of maximum, but was soon changed to 100%. While he was at it, I also had the technician add 5% speed to the other three modes so I can hopefully be better matched to people I "walk" with.

Friday morning was my first grade school visit of the year. Teachers say the kids look forward to my visit, but I almost think I enjoy it as much as them. The first talk of the year always feels like I'm dusting off the cobwebs and trying to recall the same basic presentation I've done for 21 years.

I reviewed in my head as we drove 30 minutes east and I was soon in an empty room as students were at recess. As soon as they came to the classroom door, just seeing my caregiver and I, two boys formed a barrier and wouldn't let classmates enter. I tried to assure them we were friendly folk, but they waited until the teacher arrived. Soon enough, they came in, tore off footwear as instructed, and were ready to listen.

My reviewed lines went well and came back to my memory. Thankfully, the class wasn't too boisterous, but also had some energy and did ask regular questions. Mouth, and foot, writing were a hit, but not something they wanted to repeat. To finish the morning, we got a group photo with kids surrounding the guy they originally weren't sure about.

This week ahead has another school visit with more to come later. Living the quad life can have challenges in multiple ways, but I'm thankful for the fun times and good reports as well.

Just be Happy?

Earlier this week, I started messaging with a fellow quadriplegic friend. Gary and I have known each other for several years and both live in Iowa, but rarely talk as we have different interests. This week, however, he and I have been discussing various topics. One thread of conversation touched briefly on theology, as I tend to try to direct things. Gary says he is a Christian, but that Jesus just wants us to be happy and that we don't need to follow the Bible very closely.

I could go on for several entries on these issues, but I'll try expounding on the first point somewhat briefly. Does Jesus just want everybody to be happy?

First, what makes a person happy? A state of happiness can vary from one person to the next and even depends on the day and time. However, some may be happy taking money, or possessions, that do not belong to them. The individual may think they deserve more than what they get paid, the government doesn't need full tax payments, etc. This situation breaks the eighth commandment not steal and also breaks state and federal laws. Making yourself happy may end up with large fines, jail time, or both.

Another area that makes some people happy is to view pornographic material, cheat on one's spouse, or feed attractions to your same gender. This area of pleasure breaks the seventh command and can also lead to divorce, many family problems, and even a number of physical diseases. The joy may last momentarily, but consequences of pain and heartache can last a lifetime, or more.

There are several situations that could be cited, but I think of Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Sin may be pleasurable for a season, but it brings forth death and eternity in hell, as Revelation 21:8 describes. Therefore, Jesus did not say to just be happy, He in fact had to die on the cross to forgive us sins that may have caused pleasure.

As a Christian, true pleasure and happiness comes when we follow God's will as revealed through His Word. Everything in this life, both the good and bad, is temporary. For all who repent of sin and trust in Jesus alone for salvation have eternal life.

Living eternally with God in the new heaven and earth has far more happiness than anything we can experience now. The curse of sin will be gone and their will be no more death, pain, or tears. Broken bodies will be made new and fully restored in the blink of an eye. If you're living for happiness and your best life now, then it may turn into eternal pain, suffering, and many terrors in hell.

With Easter soon upon us, let us not forget why Christ gave His life and conquered death. This is where those living the quad life, and everyone, will find true peace by trusting in Him.

Birthday Weekend

The last few days have had milestone birthdays in my family. On Friday, my grandmother celebrated 90 years of life. Yesterday, my mom celebrated her birthday as well.

My dad's family usually gets together for a combined Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration in late November or December. This year, the traditional gathering was delayed to last week in order to make it a birthday party.

Dad has three siblings, all of which have multiple children and grandchildren. Combined, that side of my family has 53 members and five living generations. Everyone lives within a few hours of our home town, but it is still a challenge to find a time when we can get together. Thankfully, everyone except 2-3 people were able to join.

Growing up, I could easily tell you who each of my cousins were and what they did. As the decades have passed, spouses have been added as well as kids. Only seeing them once a year in person, and occasionally on social media, I have a challenge remembering everyone and who belongs to whom.

Since we last got together in late 2024, three new babies have been added to the mix. Two of them are only a few months old, so they were passed around to many willing arms. The third, Lewis, is nearly 11 months old and quite active. He isn't walking quite yet, but gleefully toddles around while pushing a fire truck looking toy/chair.

Our venue was held at a local school where we had access to a gym. Several of my cousins, and especially their kids, used the area for various activities. Lewis happily pushed his truck all around the area while older kids tried to dodge him. I look for any excuse to play with kids, so I somewhat helped his mom by following along side and providing a bit of a shield. At one point, I stopped while Lewis kept going and he soon looked back at me like, "Aren't you coming?"

This was also the first time I've really had open space to drive my chair. In an attempt to race a few of my other cousin's kids, I got to use top speed at full throttle. My last two chairs topped out around 6 MPH, and I was disappointed to see I can now only achieve 3.7. The early grade school kids were very easily faster than me.

Subsequent emails have determined my chair should go up to 6 MPH, as long as my seat is completely upright. I attempted testing again in a parking lot with the same results. Therefore, I'll be going back for adjustments on the electronics, again.

Grandma has the challenges many face after nine decades of life. While she may not fully remember the party, or all our names, it was still an enjoyable time for her and everyone else. We are not guaranteed another day, or year, in this life and should celebrate each birthday with thanksgiving. Let us take each day as a thankful response to serve God and remember all we have been given.

Supply Hunt and Overload

In late high school, I took over ordering my medical supplies I use every month. I have a few times that certain items are hard to get, but a little research and brand change has resolved the problem. Since the start of 2026, I have had trouble getting one item, sterile gloves. In nearly 30 years of ordering supplies, this has been the hardest challenge, and I'm not sure about the solution.

When I came home from the hospital in 1985, I was one of the first home vent patients in central Iowa. The small company that serviced my vents also supplied my equipment. They have changed names and size over the decades, but I have stayed with them. There was a long period of time when I just said "Hello" and the person taking calls knew all my information and made ordering easy. It isn't quite that friendly any more, but close.

Several studies have tried to say there are no differences in using a "clean" glove vs. a sterile one for the procedures I use them for. However, these same researchers also believe multiple infections per year is normal. I tend to decrease that number quite a bit and therefore will always recommend, and use, sterile gloves.

My supply agency said they were trying to find a way to get gloves, and have insurance cover them. However, all of January and most of February produced no results. Therefore, I started calling at least once a week to "check on progress." I learned years ago that you sometimes need to be more annoying to get anything accomplished.

This routine produced results in that the agency found they could get kits that contained gloves. Depending on the procedure intended, these kits also include many superfluous items I don't need. However, this was the only solution they could found. One of the procedures I do that uses sterile gloves is performed four times a day, or an average of 120 times a month. The supplier would send that many per month as well as 30 more for other needs.

On Tuesday, my day caregiver was sick, so dad and I took off in the afternoon to visit his mother. When we returned, we were greeted with six large boxes on the driveway. They were moved into the garage, but this was one shipment of new kits. Not only are they a lot of bulk to ship, finding storage in my supply closet is another issue.

Looking online, I easily found the gloves I need in a convenient box of 100 through multiple retailers. I ordered one, but insurance only pays through designated suppliers. Therefore, a few solutions have been found, but it's a question of which is worse. Do I pay out-of-pocket for convenience, or have a multitude of boxes every month?

Living the quad life does indeed make for interesting challenges. I can only imagine a "normal" life of a 44-year-old bachelor would be much less exciting. Whatever the case or form, I'm thankful for God's blessings and the ability to even have such issues. 

What to Watch?

Before my time, I heard about television having just four choices for channels. The black and white screens included antenna for reception and a designated child was the one to make adjustments to the controls. In my childhood, I remember 50 or more channels to choose through cable TV and a remote that I could control with my mouth stick. Today, choices have increased in a variety of ways.

Around the time I was in college, cable television choices expanded to hundreds of channels with specialty choices depending on your interest. Satellite packages also became more popular with similar choices to cable, but with competing price points.

I don't remember exactly when the next change started, but online options for video entertainment started becoming available. Now most households have dropped cable or satellite television and just use online entertainment and what can be received over the air.

Just as their used to be a plethora of TV stations, now it seems like there are just as many streaming options. You can choose between sports options, movies, children's shows, and everything else you can want. I have tried a few different streaming options, but ended up canceling them due to having little content I enjoyed or not worth the monthly price.

Currently, I subscribe to two video streaming services. One is through Answers in Genesis and primarily has creation type documentaries. The other is through Living Waters and has their weekly podcast, full-length movies, and other evangelism type content. They are both interesting, but I hardly watch either of them on a regular basis.

What I find I watch most of the time is free content on YouTube. The commercials get annoying, but they can generally be skipped and you can choose from pretty much anything you want to watch, made by professionals and amateurs alike.

Sometimes, I find myself saving too much to view than I have time to consume. While it's good to learn, you also can't spend every minute of the day glued to a screen. That has been an issue ever since the invention of the television and the current descendants of those black and white screens hasn't changed.

Living the quad life, I'm thankful for a multitude of entertainment and video education choices that I can easily access. On my evening flat times, or when doing afternoon cares, it's an inward debate on which choice to use until I am once again upright. However, with live rail cams available all across the country, a video may still be in the background as I do other work and I listen for a train.

I'm off again to flat time, but I think I'll read a virtual book to start. Having multiple viewing options are great, but so are books.

Cold Start to Speaking

As we progress through a year, certain days mark anniversaries of various kinds. Everyone has a birthday, and then you may have a wedding anniversary, graduations, and work milestones. Friday was another year of entering the quad life.

For the past few years, I have been counting to 40 years post injury. Just like turning 40 years old, it is a special year indicating God's blessings. After a new decade, the following few years just seem like more numbers added on, at least to me. With 2026 marking 41 years post injury, it somewhat feels like just another year. Throughout these four decades, my family and I have had help from many people in various ways.

I can never repay all that I've been given, but I like to help wherever I can. Volunteering at CHAMP Camp for 16 years was great fun and a way to help and I also mentor others with spinal cord injuries through a few different organizations. A few weeks ago, I was asked if I could help preach this month.

My response was that I don't normally schedule anything before mid-March due to weather concerns. At the time, it was in the low 60's and very nice. However, Iowa weather changes quickly from one day to the next. Ten days ago, I was asked if I would preach today and that few others were available. The long-term forecast looked good, so my family and I thought it would be okay to bend my annual start date.

Now that the day has arrived, the weather changed to very cold with wind chills around 0 for the time to be at church. Instead of staying warm in bed as I normally would, I got out to brave the cold and preach the Word of God.

Paul wrote to the Philippians that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him. This doesn't mean we can flap our arms and fly, but that we will be given what we need to serve God. As I stretch my comfort zone, I have been remembering and praying this verse.

It has been shown me through the decades of quad life that God will give what is needed, but in His timing. Different scenarios of getting stuck outside have gone through my head, but I know it's extremely unlikely on a day with just cold and no snow accumulation.

If nothing else, today serves as a reminder of why I have my schedule rules. Thankfully, I should be home all week and can warm up for the next few days. I look forward to warmer days of going to preach and have a new record start day that will not be repeated, at least in Iowa.

Warmish Meeting Week

After a month of staying inside, this was a week of getting out. Thankfully, temps were in the 40's and 50's with sun. Getting out at church last Sunday still felt very cold though. Tuesday's outing was a much needed haircut and Thursday had a meeting of local pastors and church speakers.

This month's meeting was a "field trip" to one of the funeral homes in town. I used to work with the director in updating their website and got to know him well. Seeing more of his work was interesting, but not sure what I expected. However, Friday was the largest meeting event.

In late 2019, I joined the Olmstead Consumer Task Force. At that time, meetings were mainly in person with an option to meet virtually. Of course that switched a few months later and meetings have been virtual ever since.

I lead one of the sub groups and, a few months ago, member suggested we make a video for the task force to use in promotions and recruitment. It sounded great to everyone and I presumed we could use Zoom as our video recording device. However, a friend of another member is studying film and has access to good cameras and lighting. In the space of a few minutes, we suddenly planned to have everyone gather at my local library due to central location and so I didn't need to travel far in winter.

Therefore, since December I got my library card and arranged renting the meeting room. Our small group planned to join everyone else virtually, which meant we would need access to the room earlier than normal. Thankfully, I was told that wouldn't be a problem and all was set.

Friday morning, my caregiver and I arrived at 9:33 for our planned 9:30 meeting. I saw several people standing around the entrance and soon recognized faces as my group. Knocking on the door and phone calls didn't allow us entrance, but we were finally let in about 15 minutes later. Some quick tech setup allowed our group to join the rest of the task force just one minute late. It was great seeing real faces around us while grazing on Dutch treats, crackers, and other items.

The full group meeting finished early and we were soon off to work on our video project. The film student found a quiet corner of the library to setup his camera and lighting equipment. After short discussions, about six people gave planned and impromptu talks. I originally opted to do my segment in one take, but ended up redoing it after listening to other members and thinking of more to include.

Overall, I think it went well. I look forward to seeing the finished product and hope it works well for years to come. As I laid in bed Friday night, it occurred to me that I didn't take any pictures of our gathering and not sure anyone else thought of it either. Hopefully this will prompt more in-person meetings in the future, but it is easier in the quad life to stay virtual. This week appears to be calm again, except for preparing for my first sermon of the year.