There has been a lot going on in the world. Whether you watch the news or not, at some point this year, your life has been affected by all the craziness. In times like these, I’m very thankful for reflection and my health.
The other day I was making breakfast and I had the morning news on. It was one negative thing after another. I was so disgusted and turned my television off. I opted for music instead. Just listening to all the negativity really dampened my mood that morning. A song came on my stereo and one of the lines is “where did all the good people go?” I laughed out loud because how does that song randomly come on when I have over four thousand songs on my phone? I know when you have a disability, sometimes, you feel like the world is against you. If you are honest about your disability, you know what I’m talking about.
Recently I had to go to the sporting goods store to get a new driver for golfing. Once in the store, a very nice man greeted me and asked if he could help me find anything. He walked me over to the golf section and introduced me to their golf guy. The golf specialist looked at me and I could tell he was thinking that there is no way this guy in a power wheelchair can golf. I explained to him how I raise and lower my power wheelchair seat with iLevel® to adjust my height to hit the ball. Unfortunately, I can’t hit the ball more than 70 yards anymore because of my muscular dystrophy. He pulled a few different drivers and lengths for me to try. I guess normally they have a measurement system to find the right size of clubs for golfers. Because I was sitting down, the golf specialist was very happy to estimate. I’m very thankful he was so understanding and accommodating.
Then he took me in the back where they had a golf simulator, which is a big net with a projector screen that you can hit a ball into. There are sensors on the net that track how hard you hit the ball and a live image is projected, showing your ball on a simulated golf course. This allows people to test the clubs in the net before they purchase. He handed me the first club. I elevated my chair and on the follow through I almost fell out of my power wheelchair because of the forward momentum and I also missed the ball. I was laughing because I always find comedy in my faults. The poor golf specialist probably thought I was even stranger at this point or worried about me injuring myself.
So, I asked for another size club. This club was 2 inches longer. I kept my chair at the same height. I Pulled back my driver and followed through much slower this time, so I didn’t end up on the floor. I hit the ball a whopping 38 yards. I asked the specialist if they had a store record for the shortest drive. He thought that was funny. He said he was impressed that I am able to golf. He also told me that my power wheelchair is awesome and to keep on living life. I plan to do just that.
About Josh McDermott: Josh is a brand ambassador for Quantum Rehab®. He is a public speaker and has served as a goodwill ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Josh lives in New York and loves to travel. Click here to learn more about Josh.