Commentary: Things That Should Not Be Temporary

A recent phone call with a colleague prompted me to consider the impact of what I am going through right now. 

This colleague said that my health situation – an infection from the lower vertebrae that caused pain in my lower back, compounded with an upper vertebrae issue at my neck and a long-term health issue that may never go away – has inspired and helped guide his situation with his significant other. 

My colleague continued to state the difficulties of navigating life and other practical issues with a disabled person. 

To be honest, I never thought of myself as an example of what a disability looked like. Albeit, temporary. 

Let me go back a bit. I never thought of my own situation as bad as my care team had stated. Bad enough to be hospitalized for over a week. Bad enough to fear the worst. 

After a couple of months of this, I’m still dealing with my own temporary disability. There are days when my right hip would be in pain, locking up my gait. There are days when parts of legs were sore from me trying to get a lot of things done. There are days when the neck issue causes fatigue and I would droop after standing or sitting down for period of time. 

Yet, I get behind the wheel of a vehicle to work with it, I feel just fine. I can get in and out of vehicles with tall ground clearances with nominal assistance. I also can get tasks done around the house the best I can. 

Granted, there’s still some things I used to do that are still difficult. Navigating stairs is a work in progress, but I’m getting there. Yet, my care team tells me that I’m improving. I can feel it, to a point. 

As of now, I only utilize a walker when I need to. If I feel out of balance, that device helps. Also, I now have a temporary disability parking placard issued by the state of Minnesota. Not for the purpose of gaining better parking, but to help assist in building up my strength in returning back to some form of normal physically and otherwise. 

This situation made me think about several things about living with a disability. I never thought of myself in that frame of mind. Or, be challenged to not do the things I used to do until mid-November. It does make you think about how differently you should live when challenged with a curveball deep inside your skin. 

Luckily, we have some guidance on how we can live with a disability. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. It improved access for anyone who is disabled in this country to access transportation, services, buildings, employment, and all necessities towards living. While there are situations that have not been fully accomplished, the ADA made life easier for those of us who are challenged by our own bodies and overall health. 

There are a few colleagues who have dealt with disabilities – temporary and permanent. They faced challenges in living with them and adjusted accordingly. They also put in the work and delivered exceptionally just like our able-bodied counterparts do. 

There used to be a stigma that no one with a disability should be working as an automotive journalist or in a similar capacity. We should not be testing vehicles or work the long hours at an auto show. That’s not true, folks! We’re out there grinding and delivering for you. You’re reading our material, viewing of our content, and engaging with us. 

The thing we need to do is to continue reversing the stigma in every aspect of our personal and professional lives. To do so, we must uplift those of us who are dealing with a disability or a challenge to our bodies and soul. That also includes mental/behavioral/emotional health challenges. We must continue to prove our worth beyond just being functional members of a civil society.

While I make this call for not only those of us who have permanent disabilities, those of us who have been sidelined temporarily should also be in this conversation. 

This is all prompted by the fact that I still need to get from temporary disability to a sense of normality. I fear that there is a chance this all could become permanent. If so, I also fear that I would experience more of the stigmas attached to disabled people. Rather, my own response to them. 

Regardless, we need to consider what a society should be. Not a divided one where one gets sent into a separate room and forgotten. But, one where we share the same space while carving our own paths. If it sounds utopian, it should be. 

That has been my thought process since a doctor found an infection off of my lower vertebrae a couple of months ago. 

Rest assured, I am still on the job writing about automobiles, doing videos, and delivering it all without fail. I would not have this life any other way.

All photos by Randy Stern