Independent Living

One of the things about Bug that has inspired me is his bravery.
He is a very brave person.
It takes a certain amount of tenacity to be in Bug's body, to have the limitations and needs that are required to keep him going through a day and yet at the age of nineteen deciding that he wanted to live on his own.
His Mom told me that she'd expected her eldest son would live at home through his adult years. Bug was clear that he wanted to move away from home. At first Bug looked at living in a care facility, but one visit and he knew it wouldn't be for him. The other alternative was to live in his own independent place. It took Bug and his Mom two years to find the home that he's been in now for about a dozen years. The space had to be designed to accommodate a wheelchair and it had to have it's own separate accessible entrance.
Once they found the place Bug's parents said that they would cover all his living expenses. Bug said nope. He wanted to apply for disability through the ministry. This way he would be as independent as his situation could allow.
Isn't that amazing?
For me there was no doubt that I'd leave home, as quickly as I could. There was no doubt that I'd have to find ways to support myself: pay rent, feed and cloth myself. Bug wanted that for himself too.
I'm still awed when I think about how much it took for Bug to be able to live on his own. Even before I set foot in Bug's home that first meeting it was evident that it was set up for him. His electric wheelchair allowed him the freedom to move about at will. While Bug and I were silently checking each other out and he eventually invited me in, he bent over to the side and his forearm hit a button on his wheelchair. There was an audible click and the front door swung open, as if by magic. An electric door opener made it possible for Bug to open it on his own allowing him to come and go with ease.
Inside his home Bug had remote controls adhered to the lower portion of his desk front. These controlled his TV, DVD player and stereo. A large white button turned his phone on and he used his lower lip with his tongue tucked in there to punch in phone numbers. Another button turned the air-conditioner on and off remotely.
When Bug has someone with him they're able to put this aluminum pointer on his head that looks like a mosquito stinger; yes another bug reference. This headgear was designed so Bug could type on his computer keyboard. He's so fast tapping out words using his head.
It's inspiring how Bug has adapted to be able to do things that the majority of people take for granted.
As I've gotten to know Bug and spend time with him, we've worked together to make his home even more his own. We found a lamp that had a push button to turn it on and off. It was intended to be stepped on, but we stuck this button portion of the lamp cord onto the other side of his desk and Bug can wheel up and use his own foot to turn the lamp on and off.
Also, as Bug and I traveled there were a lot of pictures taken. Bug can't leaf through photo albums, so I created collage photo frames of our trip to Disneyland and another trip we made to San Fransisco. These were brilliant for Bug as they encapsualte the whole experience in one frame.
I'm beginning to understand what works and possibly doesn't work for Bug as I spend more time with him.
My mind has been opened up more than I could have imagined.
Yes, Bug is a very brave soul.
And thanks to technology, he's an independent living brave soul.

Until the next time.