In Reply to: Wheelchair passenger posted by katnip on Friday, 17. October 2008 at 13:36 Bali Time:
& her husband.A very special long term friend of ours has had MS for a very long time.She is a woman that I have admired & respected for very many years.We have watched her go down over the years & each time we see her,her condition has got worse but she always has the spark in her eys & keeps her fighting spirit.
Your friend no doubt considers herself truly blessed to have such a wonderful & caring husband.I know only too well from my girlfriend how difficult daily life can be & how much she appreciates the support & daily assistance that her wonderful husband gives her.
My friend's philosophy on life is go for it & do everything you can for as long as you can.From the sound of it,your friend is as gutsy as mine is.
I will be brutally honest & say it is very hard watching someone you care about & know suffer from MS.They certainly have their highs & lows.My friend is a very intelligent woman,a Mother,a Grandmother & a well known author & expert in her field & has even been a University lecturer.
These days she is unfortunately a shadow of her former self but she fights every step of the way.BUT the biggest thing she has going for her - excluding her wonderful husband is the fact that she never gives up.She is determined to do as much as she can & as much as her body will let her do for as long as she can.
Please pass on everything I have said to your friend.I think it's wonderful that your friend wants to travel.I have no doubt that she knows the journey & the path that she wishes to travel will no doubt be very hard at times,but anyone who has MS is used to hardship.
My girlfriend has not travelled much since she has deteriorated to her current extent but that is mainly because she did a huge amount of travelling just before things got really bad.I am sure if my girlfriend was able to cope with numerous long distant flights from OZ > UK & Ireland & still manage to do research for her books once she got there - that your friend will have very few problems coping,IF any.
Good luck & God Bless- to your friend.
I truly wish your friend the best of the best - she needs no other wishes,from what I have read,she already has everything she needs to enjoy her trip within herself.