Things happen and always when you least expect it, coming at the busiest time when your daily activities are maxed out. You’re always in a hurry, got to get it done so you can go on to the next thing. As it is, you don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done that you set out to accomplish. And suddenly comes the fall that brings everything to a screeching halt.

It happened to me on an early Saturday morning when I stood up on a stool reaching for something that really took the help of another person. With one flip of the stool I was on the ground and soon headed for the hospital with a fractured ankle and knee.

Life and all of its activities were at a complete standstill for me. I now had all the time to think about all the things I could not do. As the weeks went by in my recovery, I thought about how lucky I was because this was a temporary situation---inconvenient as it may be—but temporary for me. What about the people who are not so fortunate? You see, it’s just not about me!

The challenge was new to me but for the first time in my life I felt and saw what other people with disabilities face everyday of their lives. The littlest things are a challenge. How long will it take to get dressed in the morning? In a wheelchair or with crutches, how do you get around in a crowd of people in a major department store, opening doors, showering, what’s the shortest and safest route to get from A to Z? Your mind is constantly calculating.

I learned a lot about new obstacles and their challenges and I wanted to appreciate even more what people with lifelong disabilities face. And so, my story begins with a new friend, Randi Shotwell, a youthful woman who has myopia macular degeneration. Her beautiful blue-gray eyes betray the blindness behind them.

Visiting with Randi in her home, she focuses on your face and voice--you wouldn’t know that she can’t see you. Not yet totally blind, she can make out your image but no distinctive features can be seen. Her new friend Angus, a black Labrador trained as a guide dog has given Randi new freedoms. Summer and fall weather allows Randi and Angus to walk along the trails near her home and even to the local stores. Winter is another story as the cold wind and snow bring on a new challenge.

With “low vision” as she calls it, Randi occupies her time by crocheting exquisite blankets with patterned animals and flowers, baby clothes, scarves and hats—a mastered art with the loss of her vision. She volunteers her time at the local Elk Mercantile Arts & Crafts gallery located in the Fraser shopping center where her crochet crafts are displayed. Although bound to a life that limits her activities, Randi finds enjoyment in getting together with friends, is grateful for her special friend, Sue, who whenever possible drives Randi to shop, and especially for Angus.

Now I’ll introduce you to Steve Pisano. Steve’s accident in July 2003 confined him to a wheelchair. Grateful for the use of his upper body, Steve’s outlook on life is nothing short of inspirational. He looks at disability in a purposeful way. “Disability is really two words”, says Steve. “Dis” means not – “ability” means physical or mental capability to perform. Steve looks at the ability of the things he can do. It’s about acceptance and to find purpose in life. Purpose gives him the ability to teach others to be comfortable around people with disabilities. Steve realized that it was “just not about me”-- “I wasn’t alone in this”!

Steve loves to be in elevators with people (a most confining area for people who may be uncomfortable around a disabled person). He strikes up conversations with them and before you know they’re sharing their troubles with him---maybe because they feel that he must know the way to get through hard times and has the right answers. After all, he’s meeting and overcoming challenges everyday. There are four things that give him purpose: God, family, friends, and The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) and Mountain Parks Electric’s Operation Round Up® program. Mountain Parks Electric’s Operation Round Up® program helped to fund the purchase of his wheelchair accessible van. “It gave me freedom---it’s like a giant wheelchair that goes 65 miles per hour and I can go anywhere!” “It’s amazing how many people don’t know about Operation Round Up. I’ve met people from across the country that knew about Operation Round Up but didn’t know what it did for people. After seeing me, they went back to their electric providers and asked to round up their dollars. They realized how rounded up dollars can make a person’s life better.

Sure there’s the occasional person who beats you out of a parking spot and often there are not enough handicapped spaces—bathrooms are not always easily accessible and people have their own agenda to get things done but most people go out of their way to help.

Steve says, “I’m not afraid to ask for help when I need it. I use every opportunity to teach and make people more comfortable and aware of abilities”.

This Thanksgiving, be thankful that you and your family enjoy the freedoms you find in your abilities and recognize those who find purpose in their disabilities. I look at it all differently because it was “just not about me”.