I was in Tijuana, Mexico several years ago and we were just wandering around looking for a Mexican bakery away from the touristry places, and then realized when we found one that there were no curb cuts. We're trying to discuss what to do when two teenagers came and asked if we needed help. Between their English and our limited Spanish we told them what was the problem. Evidently there was no problem, as they got two other friends and literally just picked my chair up, and proceeded to lift me into the doorway of the bakery. They then waited for us to finish and took me back outside. They then refused to let me go through the streets back to the tourist spots by ourselves (two women) but escorted us the whole way. They wanted to know all about my wheelchair, what had happened to me, and how did I drive my wheelchair with my chin. We drew quite a crowd of other kids and I still have the little necklace that one of the girls made and gave to me.
Kind people are everywhere and enrich our lives. I too have only been taken advantage of one time, but helped innumerable times as I often go shopping by myself just because I can. I enjoy the times as I still hate having to have people help me all the time, but I don't have any problems asking a salesperson for some help in their store, and I really enjoy surprising people with things that I bought by myself when they normally would have to go with me. As my daughter says, I am only getting more stubborn about doing it myself when I can as I get older. She reminds me that lots of people like helping, and that I had best take advantage of it or maybe the source will dry out! Joan From: Ed Tessier [mailto:e...@teamjeved.com] Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2014 10:09 PM To: daano...@gmail.com Cc: Joan Anglin; <wheelch...@aol.com>; <quad-list@eskimo.com> Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Anniversary and good Samaritans I hit my 30th anniversary of my injury, and I am still surprised how kind and helpful people can be. Dropped my cell phone? The man eating his lunch on the park bench offers to help. Struggling to carry snacks to one of my son's soccer games? Three people simultaneously offer to help. Girlfriend trying to hold chair up stairs in Mexico? Car with dead battery? Chair front caster caught on sprinkler head? Help, help, and more help. In 30 years I was robbed once and helped 1000 times. I have faith in people. On Wed, Oct 22, 2014 at 10:06 PM, <daano...@gmail.com> wrote: Hi Joan, Happy 24th anniversary. I always love hearing from you are so positive and warmhearted. I'm sorry what happened to you with your wheelchair boy you are brave. You had a guardian angel watching out for you thank God. Love your fellow comrade on wheels Sent from my iPhone On Oct 22, 2014, at 7:58 PM, "Joan Anglin" <poaj...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: It is an ongoing problem, no one can find the problem solution. What made it most difficult was that I had forgotten to tighten up my control collar so that I could easily turn the chair back on. And in the sunshine I could not see where it was flashing, my bad. Joan From: wheelch...@aol.com [mailto:wheelch...@aol.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2014 4:57 PM To: poaj...@sbcglobal.net; quad-list@eskimo.com Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Anniversary and good Samaritans I truly hope you got your chair fixed. Was it a circuit breaker... or a bad control module? Best Wishes In a message dated 10/22/2014 4:06:50 P.M. Central Daylight Time, poaj...@sbcglobal.net writes: The 15th marked 24 years with SCI. It just so happened that we were out and about that day and we are having a beautiful Indian summer with highs in the sixties and no severe freeze so far. We finished shopping at Sam’s Club and I decided to just roll over to the next place we were going which was only seven or eight blocks away. My wheelchair has been behaving itself quite well so I felt confident I could beat the others to the next store. I took off at a good clip (for an omega track) and realized when I got there that the store had moved another eight or 10 blocks away a couple of months ago. No problem, except that the wheelchair decided to quit right as I was crossing the street. I was able to flag down a pedestrian who restarted my chair. A little more cautiously I kept on going, stopped again, a couple of people came over to ask if I needed help-of course I did. Now I am being very cautious as I am realizing it is quitting when I try to go faster. I’ve already given up on the challenge of beating everyone else to the next store, just want to get there without breaking down in the middle of the street again. I finally reach the parking lot of the next shopping mall, which is quite empty, and get out to the middle of the lot. Stopped again, this time there are no pedestrians, so I resign myself to waiting until somebody misses me and comes to find me, because they are in Walmart and the cell phones don’t work to reach them. Suddenly a car veers over and a young man gets out. As he is walking over three more cars come over and everyone gets out. I guess I was noticed, because they all want to know if I’m OK and do I need help. The young man gets to me first, starts my chair off, and I thank everyone, and leave for the store. Then I noticed that the young man’s car is following me. He escorts me to Wal-Mart, and then smiles and says have a great day and drives off. Moral of the story, move out west to find plenty of good Samaritans. Have a great day everyone, I sure did. Joan
