A Curve Ball Day and Autism

This has definitely been a weird day for us.  There are so many things you do without thinking as parents/carer/guardian.  These things are often more substantial than you would do for a child not on the spectrum.  Today wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t great.

I’ve not had a particularly good day myself.  I woke up poorly and have been so ever since.  That means I’ve not been much help but I could make phone calls and texts and get things sorted a bit.

Kevin went to take Johnathan to school - Johnathan walking and Kevin in the wheelchair.  My carer was here (usual Tuesday shift) and I said to her “I am reading the time right and Kevin has been over an hour taking Johnathan to school and back?”

He’s normally 30 to 45 minutes, so I rang him and he said he was nearly home, but his wheelchair had broken and a kind man was pushing him home!  Now the wheelchairs are HEAVY beasts to push, because they hold TWO big batteries underneath the seat

Yes, wheelchairs break - happened to mine maybe a couple of years ago.   Fortunately, his was nothing like as dramatic as mine.  He heard or felt something and then a clunking sound and the wheelchair stopped moving..

Naturally he wanted to have a look and see what happened.  He saw one of the batteries (the one that sits at the back of the chair) on the ground and he tried to lift it, leaving his hands trembling.  Fortunately, a man he often passes as he takes Johnathan to or from school was walking his dog and saw him and the wheelchair and stopped to ofer a hand.  Neither he nor Kevin could see a way to get the battery back on the chair, so he got Kevin to sit and hold the dog’s lead in one hand with the battery on his lap.

And we were fortunate enough to get someone kind and they sent a technician out to have a look (same day service, not happened before).  Basically, it turns out it wasn’t JUST that the battery fell off, but the whole FRAME of the chair had broken in the middle and the two sides not meeting!  I said to him this was a problem because we have an autistic boy who wouldn’t cope if Daddy didn’t pick him up in a wheelchair.

So, he called the service and arranged to have a new wheelchair delivered, which he bought himself!  Meanwhile, I had organised to get Johnathan in afterschool care so that there was time for it all to happen.

And I am very grateful it all worked out,, too!