Cast your mind back to 2011 what was you doing? I’d had rheumatoid for three years and was progressively getting worse. Three incidents stand out to me in the first half of 11 the first was a trip to Tesco, when I’ll be honest I could hardly walk, I literally was held up by my brother & then boyfriend around the shop when u got into the car it was like a relief. The second was a lady offering me her spare wheelchair after almost crawling somewhere (you’ll have to excuse me I can not remember). The final one was literally crawling up and down steps at old Trafford to see a game!
So at that point I thought you know what I’m going to buy a wheelchair it cost me £150 and I said this is temporary just to help me through this bad flare up. I never got out of the chair.
I had booked exec seats for a testimonial at old Trafford (Paul scholes) and I didn’t want to miss it as I was taking my brother, so I rang up the ticket office and explained that my health had deteriorated and I needed a wheelchair to my surprise she was able to gone me two tickets for the wheelchair platform in the east quad, ah I could still go. My uncle and then boyfriend took the exec seats I’m told they were very good, jealous much! That was my first experience on the platform & with MUDSA I didn’t expect it to become permanent but it has and I’ve made some lovely friends since.
Since 2011 I’ve had 1 indoor electric wheelchair and 2 outdoor manual chairs, my current chair is called Ben!
It’s not been easy adapting to life in a chair I get so frustrated but I’ve been so lucky to be able to still go to many concerts .. even if the accessible line is amazingly annoying!
I’ve been to many football games home and away and seen a European final in Stockholm all thanks to Man Utd and mudsa. I’ve seen access improve at games across the league and become a season ticket holder.
I’ve been on holidays, and experienced some interesting disabled toilets abroad, like Monaco who has one and it was locked! Or in Germany when after drinking asked where’s your toilet we don’t have one!
I use to hate being seen in my wheelchair but now it’s part of me and yeah I’ve lost friends since coming into the wheelchair but obviously our friendship wasn’t strong enough. One meet some fellow wheelies thanks in part to football and become a part of a great community on Facebook “wheelie brits” both of these have helped me to adjust to my new life.
It’s in no way been easy I miss things like high heels and the independence and I miss browsing in shops coz everyone had different tastes so my kinda browsing ain’t the next persons!
But right now 7 years on I’m coming to terms with life as a wheelie I’m in a lot better place than I was in my chair, it frustrates me and makes me cry at times but we are a team my chair enables me to live out my dreams.
Vicky xx
