May '13 - Katie Piper, Sarah Millican and a Shower in my own house!...

    I'm going to start May off with another strange - 'wheelchair reaction' shall we call it? It was around the 4th May I think and me and Joss went to Kidderminster to meet some friends (It was a bit emotional actually because stupidly I didn't realise it was the first part of the route we took to get to and from the safari park that day and we had to park near the mcdonalds we stopped at on the way home) 
Anyway we went for a drink and as we left the pub and headed down the high street at around 6pm we encountered a rather drunk lady. I could tell she was going to come over and she did. She kept looking at me, and after complimenting Joss on his shorts...Decided to turn on a very patronising voice and pull a sad face and ask why I was in a wheelchair. I told her very briefly about the crash and hoped she would leave. Instead she said 'oh my god' a lot and then decided to hold my hand...so as we were trying to leave and Joss was pushing me she was walking along side holding my hand eventually she stopped and said a few more 'oh my god' 'how awful' type things and then hugged me so tight I actually thought my jaw might crack again!  
If anyone who reads this has any funny/strange wheelchair or disability reactions please comment or send them me on twitter I would love to read them! https://twitter.com/1992_georgia

   On the 9th May I went upstairs in my house for the first time in over 8 months! I have been having physiotherapy since I was in hospital and it has progressed from using a machine to bend my leg at the very beginning to finally being able to begin weight-bearing 5 months later. 3 months on from that I can finally begin to use steps/stairs. To do this we have had to have railings and bars built in our home to allow me to get up them. Now they are built, I use one crutch and have the other arm holding the left hand rail and using right foot first can get up one step at a time. I'm not allowed to do it without someone following me with their arms braced across the rails in case I fall because I'm pretty unsteady on my feet! It was very weird seeing upstairs again, my bedroom door is directly ahead at the top of the stairs and is covered in so many pictures/stickers/leaflets (even a first class train head rest cover..) from when I was about 16 it was like looking at someone else's door. I couldn't face going into my room just yet I think that will be quite hard.

Here I am at the top of the stairs! 

   On May 15th I had my FIRST shower in my own home for 8 months 3 weeks and 5 days. The last time I was in there I was getting ready for the safari park. We originally thought I'd be able to get upstairs in November 2012 so to finally be allowed 6 months later than that was a big achievement! I got some great equipment from my occupational therapist so as long as someone helps me up and downstairs I can shower independently!

My shower equipment in my own bathroom!

    A while ago I was contacted by the Katie Piper Foundation (KPF) after speaking to another girl online who was left with bad scarring after a road accident. I was invited by the KPF to begin attending their events which I was really happy about because I'm not sure how to deal with my burns and scars emotionally. On the 19th May I attended my first event which was a pamper day at a very nice salon in Birmingham. I had my hair trimmed to sort out any split ends which was great because I'm very self concious of the fact that it is so uneven and there is a big scar in the middle of one side so to have someone do it in that environment made me feel more at ease. I had my make up done by a fantastic volunteer who was really funny and you didn't feel like you were there because you had something horrible happen. Katie piper herself painted my nails and we were given amazing goody bags with scar treatment and sun cream as well as really fancy make up for free! It was also the first time in exactly 9 months I've done anything remotely independent as Joss was able to just drop me off and then pick me up at the end. 

   On the 23rd May me and Joss took a little 'road trip' to Manchester together. One of my birthday presents this year was Sarah Millican's DVD and I decided I really wanted to see her live. I was trying to persuade Joss to take me to her 2013/2014 tour when I received an email with links to tickets for her warm up gigs! £7 to see her and 3 other comedians in small venues, yes please! I opted for Manchester as it was the closest and told Joss I'd buy his ticket if he got the car for the weekend which he did. So on the first day we found our hotel (good old premier inn) and got something to eat after wheeling round Manchester city centre before going to see her at the Frog and Bucket. It was a great place, a small bar/venue but they were great about the wheelchair and we had a really good table with a good view but not in the way. It was a brilliant night and the acts were hilarious. The next day we went to the War Museum and had a peek at the TV studios before we headed back. All in all a very good weekend! In fact a pretty good month!

DRIVE SAFE, George xxx