When you live with a disability, whether through multiple sclerosis or another cause, humour can help. It may be a twisted form, but it’s still humour.
I find that, these days, laughter comes when it is least expected.
It can come after I end up on the floor at home, especially if that is because I misjudged the distance to a chair or a hand grip. Instead of sitting there and pounding the floor with my fist, while crying “Why me?”, usually I see the funny side and just laugh at my own predicament.
That’s not to say that I never ‘lose it’ and curse this damned disease but, normally, the laughter takes over. In fact, as if getting up from the floor isn’t difficult enough, often I have to wait until I can stop laughing. Then, and only then, can I begin to pull myself up again.
Out and about, I use a rollator to walk just a few yards, such as from our home to the car outside. For any longer journey, I rely on a motorized wheelchair.
That, in itself, can be another source of humour. My very first motorized mobility aid was a second-hand scooter that I bought on eBay. It opened up a whole new world but the inaugural trip wasn’t uneventful. In our local park, I messed up and almost ended up in the paddling pool. Fortunately, disaster was averted and Lisa and I ended up laughing at my near miss.
Bare butt humour
A couple of years ago, we were visiting Lisa eldest sister who lives in New York state, about a half hour train ride from the city. We enjoyed a meal with sister Gen, her husband, three children and two of her grandchildren.
After her offspring and grandchildren had left, I managed to fall in the downstairs ‘half bathroom’ which is a room with a washbasin and toilet. The problem on this occasion was a loose mat that proved too much for me and my limited mobility to handle.
I was in a confined space and managed to get to my knees but not any further. I needed help and had to wait for Gen’s son to return for him to render assistance. My trousers and underpants were both around my thighs and, being on my knees with my arms on the toilet, everyone got a great view of my butt. Much mirth and laughter from everyone, especially after Gen’s husband Billy said he’d fallen in love with it. Enough said!
Actually, earlier on that same trip, Lisa and I were in Honolulu and used a vehicle converted to carry a wheelchair. I was loaded on in my chair, secured and off we went. What I hadn’t realized was that he driver ad secured the rear of the chair but not the front. The first I knew about that was when the driver pulled away from some traffic lights like Sebastian Vettel stating a motor racing grand prix.
No longer sitting upright
The start threw me and my chair backwards. This was unnoticed by either the driver or my beloved wife, sitting in the front. Grabbed their attention by saying “You might like to know that I am no longer sitting upright.” Lisa looked back and saw my feet in midair. She asked if I was hurt and when assured that I was ok, she just burst out laughing, me too.
Not the driver, though. He was so apologetic, and stopped to pick me up and this time secured the chair at the front as well. The poor man was so sorry and worried that he’d lo-se his job but we were too busy laughing. We did not complain.
The lesson I have learned is that you can’t take yourself too seriously.
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50shadesofsun.com is the personal website of Ian Franks, a Features Writer with Medical News Today. He enjoyed a successful career as a journalist, from reporter to editor in the print media. He gained a Journalist of the Year award in his native UK. Ian received a diagnosis of MS in 2002 and now lives in the south of Spain. He uses a wheelchair and advocates on mobility and accessibility issues.
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