The Lucknow Sentinel, 1993-01-27, Page 7Learning to live, with a disability
' by Mora Irwin
A disability or chronic illness is
.--usually looked upon. as a. crisis,
says a local doctor.
' "But the Chinese . symbol for
'crisis'- is made up of two parts,"
Dr. Bruce Thomson. told members
Of DIAMONDS" Jan. 16. "One
means 'disaster-'. and the other 'o-
pportunity.'"
DIAMONDS, a support group for
the physically challenged, met at
the Huron County Museum.
DIAMONDS co-chairman Glen
McLachlan and member Margaret
White presented an Accessibility
Award Certificate to the museum,
for its work in making the building
accessible to the physically chal-
lenged. Assistant curator Raymond
Scotchmer accepted on behalf of
the museum.
Thomson, the guest' speaker, told
the approximately 25 people at the
meeting that he , has been in a
wheelchair for the past 10 years.
"I suffered a sudden but luckily
hon -progressive disease that left me
paraplegic," Thomson said in a later
interview. The disease is known as
'transverse myelitis,' a condition
about which little is known.
During his talk, Thomson quoted
comic strip character Pogo's fampus
quip, "We have met the enemy and
he is us." The challenge, Thomson
said, is to overcome being our own
worst enemy.
He Said he didn't want to "co-
ncentrate on the downers" of being
disabled, but he would start there
and "move to something positive."
The `downers' arc something
everyone is' familiar with,. said
Thomson: fear, 'depression, anger
and frustration. '
"We're' afraid 'of illness,
• hospitalization, pain and how ttiis
affects. the length of•our lives," he
said. "We get depressed. We've lost
something. We're not as healthy as
we_were, and we're more dependent
on other people. .
"And angry? You want to bet we
get angry from time to time,"•said
Thomson. "We were cheated out of
something. Life wasn't supposed to
be like this."
ACCEPT FEELINGS
Frustration can erupt from
something as basic as trying to
manoetiver through snow in a
wheelchair to having favorite hob-
bies interfered with.
Part of the trick .to coping is to
"It's* very well known
that people who over-
come a problems get
more out of relation-
ships - music sun- '
sets. It sound corny,
but that's the way it
•
Ls.„.
accept these feelings as normal, he
said. Great heroes such as
American Gen. Douglas MacArthur
have always . been represented as
fearless, but Thomson, who enjoys
reading biographies, said the
biographies show even these people
were "scared to death” at times.
As for depression and sorrow,
even medical science doesn't
understand why crying helps'us feel
better, but it's a fact that it does.
Thomson said an elderly patient of
his, once told him, "Doctor, if you
don't have tears, you'll have water
on. the brain."
Anger is often born out of
frustration at the limitations one
faces.
"Our loved ones understand that,
and that's why we usually blow off
steam at them," he said. "It's safe.
They understand," Anger is usually.
seen as more positive than depres-
. sion, he added.
"Mark Twain once said `if you're
angry, count to five. If that doesn't
work, swear,'" Thomson said.
"We're frustrated because we're
awkward and slow," he said, but he
told 'of seeing a 70 -year-old car-
penter using a hand -built crane to
move huge Togs. ,
"It's slow, but he's satisfied with
it,". and it gets the job done," said
Thomson: "And I remind myself
'that, long ago, that' was the way
everyone worked." Nobody at that
time thought it was `too slow,' I
On the positive side, people who
have survived and coped with a
.disability or chronic illness ap-
preciate things more, Thomson said.
"It's very well known that people
who overcome problems get more
out of relationships - music - sun -
Sets," he said. "It sounds corny, but
that's the way it is."
He advised each member ofthe
audience to learn all they can about
their illness or condition..
LUCKNOW KINSMEN'S 6TH ANNUAL
Mushball Tournament
and
Dance
Saturday,
February 13th., 1993,
TOURNAMENT
12:30 pm - 5:00 pm
also including:
BOARDWALK
BLIND VOLLEYBALL
FLOOR HOCKEY and.
possible other events
weather perlmitting
16 teams first come basis
ALL TEAMS MUST HAVE
5 MEN & 5 WOMEN
Entry Fee: 85.00 per person
DANCE
Lucknow Community Centre 9 pm - 1 am
Music by: "ULTIMATE SOUND"
Air guitar contest. Dance $5.00 per person non -players.
No minors admitted to dance. Age of Majority only.
All proceeds to Community Projects.
CONTACT: KEN IRWIN 529-7337 - BARRY SMYTH 529-7422
STEVE FREEMAN - 528-3123
"Keep ,,learning," he said.
very difficult for a doctor' to know
everything about so many things."
ASK QUESTIONS '
Look for =professionals who are
willing to. take the time "and listen,
and "don't be afraid to question'
them." Some of his patients bring
news articles in about research, and
he always makes a point of reading
them, he said.
"Sometimes things hit the
newspapers before they hit the
(medical) journals," said Thomson.
Anyone . on medication should
watch for side effects, such as
depression or lack of energy.
The best formula for survival was
written by Viktor Frankle, a Jewish
psychiatrist who survived
Auschwitz, said Thomson.
"He saw people die right and left,
and it wasn't always the weak or
old who died:" •
The three characteristics of sur-
vivors are:
• "You must have a task; you must
have something to do," Thomson
said. It doesn't have to . be
something sophisticated. Some of
the survivors of the camps were old
women who were knitting socks for
their grandchildren. They didn't
know whether they'd ever see their
grandchildren again-, but they gave
themselves that task and stuck to it
anyway, 'said Thomson. - -
"You must be loved ,or have been
loved," he added. If there are no
close friends or family around, take
in a pet. "Pets are wonderful,"
Thomson said.
• "You . must have a sense of
humor," he said, holding up a book
by a man .named Callaghan. The .
author Was'_ a "rough character,"
said' Thomson, who ended up •a
quadriplegic (paralyzed from- the
neck down) as a result of a car
accident. His book is titled Don't
Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot.
"'"He learned to laugh at himself,"
said Thomson. "So if you're down.
• if you're really ,bad:. don't
watch the news," he finished,'.
breaking into agrin as the audience
laughed. •
"This society is too serious.
They'll go anywhere in the world to
find- a bus crash to report.' That
London Free Press should be con-
. demned."
• 11 you want distraction, rent a
funny movie instead, said Thomson.
Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, January 27, 1993 — Page 7
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THURSDAY JANUARY 28th THRU SUNDAY JANUARY 31st
16 Teams from Goderich, Lucknow, Brussels, Clinton, Teeswater, Wingham,
Listowel & Kincardine. Tournament starts Thursday night, runs Friday night, all
day Saturday and Sunday.
Admission $2.00, children under'12 Free.
Kinettes will be serving up bacon & eggs on Saturday and Sunday mornings
from 8:30 am - 11 am upstairs in the Arena.
Fleminigs
B
Championship
Sun.
8:30 am
Sat.
1:00 pm
Thurs. 8:15 pm.
Kincardine Oki Kings
Holyrood ButchersSat.
11:30 am
Thurs. 9:40 pm
Teeewater T,Birds
Ripley Eagles
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Martin Feedbaggers
Listowel Independents S2a30 pm
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Blyth
Amberley
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Trojans
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Rebels
Sat.
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Sat. 8:30 am
Goderich Jets
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Belmore
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•