STRUGGLING WITH SERENDIPITY
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true north

9/5/2018

8 Comments

 
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One of the few perks of being a group home manager was making the work schedule. I set up everything at work so I could be off for a long weekend in early December. Beth made her way to Boston’s Logan airport on her own. She traveled with a duffel on her lap and a full backpack on her wheelchair handles, and rode in an accessible taxi to the big airport. She stayed in her manual wheelchair until the plane boarded, when she moved to a small aisle chair to access her seat on the plane. Her wheelchair was tagged and put underneath with the luggage. She kept her duffel and backpack with her on the plane to avoid baggage claim later. After the landing, she was always the last passenger to deboard.
 
Beth was stuck on the plane until someone brought an aisle chair to carry her back to her own wheelchair.
 
I flew out of Detroit and met Beth at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. It was wonderful to reconnect with Beth since we had been separated for months, for the first time. I drove a rental car to our familiar hotel across from the university pool complex.
           
I had a cell phone, but no smart phone or GPS, so I had a routine for swim trips. I printed Google maps to navigate around a new city. By the time the two or three day swim meet in a strange city ended, I had just started to gain my bearings. In Minneapolis, I could relax, since I knew where to go from previous swim meets there. I had a good sense of direction. Ever since I grew up a few blocks from Lake Erie in Lorain, Ohio, I could usually find north, to the water, from different places around the state.
 
My lake sense, my true north, didn’t work in other regions, unfortunately. However, my real true north was my family.
             
The beautiful pool at the University of Minnesota bumped down to second on Beth’s list of favorite pools after Harvard’s Blodgett. She achieved an unexpected milestone at the winter meet: a PanAmerican Record in the 100-meter backstroke. She also added a brand new American Record in the 150 IM (backstroke, breast, and free), and reached an amazing fourth place in the IPC World Rankings in the 200 freestyle! If only the 200 free was an official event for her S3 disability classification. With an eye on the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, we hoped it would include at least one longer S3 event.
           
Beth set and reset American Records on the Harvard Women’s Swim Team and the U.S. Paralympics National Team, working toward the perfect freestyle, the ultimate 50-meter freestyle record, and Beijing.
 
Next: Moving On!
8 Comments
Esther S. Merves
9/6/2018 10:21:49 am

I've known few athletes of Beth's caliber! The travel process leaves much to be desired in terms of the wait times for wheelchair transfers, but it does vary I assume from airline/airport. When I was in Switzerland, they were very prompt. I was also gratified to see how accessible (ramps everywhere for everyone) some places where in the areas I stayed. Love reading the details of your life journey.

Reply
Cindy Kolbe
9/7/2018 12:19:32 pm

Thank you! Yes, accessibility is slowly getting better, but still needs to improve. I appreciate your support, Esther!

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Jason Rhode link
9/6/2018 10:43:41 am

Ug, I HATED those aisle chairs, but loved sitting in the front of the cabin. Another fun adventure from Struggling with Serendipity. Does she have aspirations for Tokyo?

Reply
Cindy Kolbe
9/7/2018 12:27:39 pm

The very first time we flew with her wheelchair, they bumped us up to first class. Since then, they usually keep whatever seat she has, in the middle or wherever. It would be a good policy to seat wheelchair users near the front of the plane. And about Tokyo, no. With her work schedule, she’s staying retired from competitive swimming. Thanks for following, Jason!

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Jen @ The Frozen Mind link
9/7/2018 09:02:35 pm

After reasing this, I feel like I could go back to your first post and just start reading. I want to know more! In fact, I have bookmarked your blog and I am going to be reading more of your older posts!

Reply
Cindy Kolbe link
9/7/2018 11:02:34 pm

Thanks, Jen! It's so nice to hear that you are interested in reading more. It's been an incredible 18 year journey since Beth's injury!

Reply
Laura B link
9/11/2018 06:11:53 pm

You have such an inspirational blog and it's lovely to read! Thank you for sharing!

Reply
Cindy Kolbe
9/11/2018 08:00:27 pm

Thanks, Laura, and welcome! I’m glad you found my blog!

Reply



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