Three days after we started, I received a call that Mom's motorized wheelchair would be delivered the next day. Our claim had been denied by Medicare because Mom was still walking with a walker, but ALS is progressive and we knew that time was coming. The very week we started on the ramp, she had two bad falls, the second one meant five stitches in her forehead, so we knew she was getting close to needing that wheelchair. We were building the ramp to accommodate a light-weight push wheelchair.
I'm going to have to work on Dad's picture posing.
Someone must have gone to bat for mom for her to receive the motorized wheelchair, and we're still trying to figure that out so we can thank them. But since the ramp would now need to hold 350 lbs. of chair and person, Dad had to add more braces, and he added 4x4 posts all along the sides to accommodate the extra weight.
He looks like he's in time out or something
When Mom and Dad move to a new community, one of the first things they do is join a church. Then they look around to see how they can become involved in worthwhile projects. They volunteered one day a week at the local food bank, and Mom also volunteered one afternoon a week at the local hospital gift shop, which supports the hospital. Mom's speech began to deteriorate, but she could still write if people couldn't understand her. When her usual partner had to stay home to take care of her husband, her new partner was definitely orchestrated by God. Mom learned that her new partner's husband also had ALS, so Mazie was not in the least bit uncomfortable with Mom's condition. Even after Mom had to retire from the hospital job, Mazie has continued to keep up with us, and even checked on Mom and Dad while I was in London. We appreciate her friendship so much.
For the smaller ramp into the garage, fellow ALS caregiver, Mazie Rosipal,
let us use the ramp her husband previously used at their house.
Now the ramp is almost finished. We just need to add strips of 1x4s to the lower part of each side to keep the wheels from driving off the sides of the ramp. The wheelchair control is very sensitive, and it unnerved me trying to keep it in the middle of the ramp as I drove it into the house for Mom.
I'm convinced that God put us in this house and this town at this time of our lives. He knew what was ahead for us, and it's comforting to know that He's gone before us. I know this ramp is another milestone with ALS, and it means everything's getting harder, especially for Mom. And when we feel so helpless watching ALS take its toll, doing things like building the ramp lets us feel like, if only for a moment, that we're helping and making things easier for her. But I cling to what Jesus' brother James wrote: He gives greater grace, grace that can overcome this disease and all of its heartrending ramifications.
I dedicated my fifth novel, The Last Key, to my mother, and included the following words:
For my mother, Isla,
whose eyes first saw this story;
My best and worst attempts at anything in life
find safe harbor with you,
along with my pieced and quilted heart.
I love your intelligence & humor & generosity;
You've taught me so much
by how you've lived your life,
more so than words;
Much more so than words.
I still see you vibrant & beautiful,
and that won't change,
even when our roles reverse;
You've always been strong for us;
It's our turn now to be strong for you.
I still hear you,
I've not forgotten your voice;
It lives in my memories,
and there it will remain
until it's perfectly restored on the other side.
I love hanging out with you,
even in the storms.
No matter who gets there first,
remember our date by the gate;
And until then, I'll walk side by side with you.
We'll all walk side by side with you, Gangy.
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