HELP! 14 y.o. DS broke ankle and we leave in a month for WDW

[cmbonneville]

14 year old DS broke his ankle, lateral talus fracture to be exact. He is in a cast and will be having a CT scan to see how bad it really is and determine if he needs surgery! either way there is no way he will out of a cast in 4 weeks and able to walk

What do I do first?

I don't know whether to cancel the trip,

deal with it and make him walk (which DH thinks we should and is against my better judgment),

rent a ECV - which would be costly and I'm not sure he could operate well, especially in crowds

rent a wheelchair... and then I'd be stuck pushing it

or find someone to leave him home with (his biological grandmother lives very close and he could still attend school - however DH..his stepdad...is against it)

Keep in mind he is not overly excited about going in the first place...he believes he is too cool for WDW and has been several times in the past

What do I do???? If he goes how are we going to manage pushing him around the parks and dragging him/or carrying him on rides

In this situation do individuals get put to the front of the line or get seperate entrances?

Thanks in advance for any advice

~Crystal

 

[Lilogirl]

14 year old DS broke his ankle, lateral talus fracture to be exact. He is in a cast and will be having a CT scan to see how bad it really is and determine if he needs surgery! either way there is no way he will out of a cast in 4 weeks and able to walk

What do I do first?

I don't know whether to cancel the trip,

deal with it and make him walk (which DH thinks we should and is against my better judgment),

rent a ECV - which would be costly and I'm not sure he could operate well, especially in crowds

rent a wheelchair... and then I'd be stuck pushing it

or find someone to leave him home with (his biological grandmother lives very close and he could still attend school - however DH..his stepdad...is against it)

Keep in mind he is not overly excited about going in the first place...he believes he is too cool for WDW and has been several times in the past

What do I do???? If he goes how are we going to manage pushing him around the parks and dragging him/or carrying him on rides

In this situation do individuals get put to the front of the line or get seperate entrances?

Thanks in advance for any advice

~Crystal

No, you don't get put to the front of the line. Most of the lines are wide enough for a wheelchair (Wheelchairs can be rented at the entrance to each park). Also to rent an ECV in the park you have to be 18. Under 18 is not allowed to rent or drive an ECV.

There is a sticky at the top of this thread they may offer some suggestions.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

Disney and almost all of the rental companies will not allow use of an ECV by anyone less than 18. The only exception to this is Randy's; since they will only deliver to the Guest and not to Bell Services, they will verify that the youth is capable of safely driving the ECV (either by owning one and not bringing it or at the top end of the age group (16 or higher)).

Almost all lines at WDW are mainstreamed, so a person in a wheelchair or ECV will be able to go all the way into a theater or boarding area in the regular line. The Guest Assistance Card (GAC) (see below) is not intended to skip lines.

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful informationPost #2 deals with wheelchair and ECV rental while Post #6 concerns the GAC.

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

 

[Belle1962]

Mom of a previously teenaged boy here: Just because he may act like it is "not cool" now, once he gets there his attitude could change. If he missed the whole trip he (and you) may regret it.

Ask about a walking cast or boot (even if it would work just for that one week).

I don't believe he will be able to rent an ecv so your only option is to push him. Rent a wheelchair at home NOW and have HIM practice going up and down the sidewalks around the house, at the mall, etc. Get him doing exercises to strengthen his upper body. At 14 he should be able to wheel himself at least some of the time.

As previously mentioned, the lines are mostly mainstreamed so no front of the line. I'm not sure about the buses but I know each bus only holds 2 ecv's and you will often have to wait for more than one bus to get one that has room for you--esp. at the end of the night.

Will it be a cast he can get wet? Be sure to ask for one. Not only will this help with showering/bathing he may be able to do Splash Mountain and other rides with water features if the cast CAN get wet.

Have the dr mark a line where the cast is going to be cut. Get autographs below that line--he'll have a really neat souvie.

Mainly--ask the dr his opinion. Will it be ok for DS to walk or would it be better if was in a wheelchair. The dr may want him walking by that time, suggest a combination of both or tell you no way.

Good luck.

 

[KPeveler]

talk to his dr - you may be able to get a wheelchair or ECV covered under insurance. disney and surrounding companies will not rent to people under 18, but I believe as long as he can control it, he would be allowed to bring in an ECV from home...

Disney's advice in such situations is to rent a wheelchair or scooter... that way you will be able to wait in all the normal lines and do your vacation just like you would have otherwise!

 

[Chuck S]

Assuming he has no other physical problems or limitations, why would you be stuck pushing his wheelchair? A healthy 14 yo should be able to propel himself most of the time, as long as you aren't running through the parks. I'm sure he'll need some help on ramps and inclines, though. And he may only want to wheel around only part of a day if he isn't used to it. Also beware the street car tracks in the Magic Kingdom.

 

[KPeveler]

Assuming he has no other physical problems or limitations, why would you be stuck pushing his wheelchair? A healthy 14 yo should be able to propel himself most of the time, as long as you aren't running through the parks. I'm sure he'll need some help on ramps and inclines, though. And he may only want to wheel around only part of a day if he isn't used to it. Also beware the street car tracks in the Magic Kingdom.

as long as the wc was a light-weight chair sized for him. He can actually do MORE damage to himself trying to push a mis-sized or heavy chair.

he will NOT be able to push the WDW rentals. they are somewhere between 50 and 60 lbs, depending, and the arm rests are so high that you can barely reach the wheels. they are also old, and tend to veer to one side or the other.

i use a wheelchair at home and I have problems pushing myself up inclines and such. pretty much he will need to be pushed in a wheelchair rented there at disney

 

[Chuck S]

as long as the wc was a light-weight chair sized for him. He can actually do MORE damage to himself trying to push a mis-sized or heavy chair.

he will NOT be able to push the WDW rentals. they are somewhere between 50 and 60 lbs, depending, and the arm rests are so high that you can barely reach the wheels. they are also old, and tend to veer to one side or the other.

i use a wheelchair at home and I have problems pushing myself up inclines and such. pretty much he will need to be pushed in a wheelchair rented there at disney

That's true, the Disney chairs are awkward. A good offsite company should be fine, though. I had to use my Mom's w/c last year for a couple months, after I was in the hospital, and I got around fine, but the arms weren't in the way. I was tired by the end of the day.

Mom just uses her chair for long distances, like WDW or when we go to a shopping mall. Around a grocery store and around the house she does fine with a cane. I push her at Disey, but she's 84.

 

[mechurchlady]

I read up on lateral talus fractures and definitely a nonweight bearing cast and depending on the size it could require surgery. So what to do?

Take him with you and rent a wheelchair offsite. He will be able to ride any ride in the parks so maybe he will find one he likes. Wheelchair pushing can be hard work but if you can remove the arms from a rental chair then it will be easier for him to push the chair. An option is to buy one locally, take it with you to WDW then sell it or get a tax write off from donating the chair to a charity. The wheelchair can be checked at the curb as free medical luggage.

Right now he is thinking the parks are for little kids but when he sees things he likes then he will change his mind. Get a crutchholder and let him hop around if he wants. Just make sure that if you do take him in a chair that it is agreed that everyone helps push. sharing is caring so hubby should show he cares by sharing the pushing, lol.

 

[kaytieeldr]

A wheelchair brought from home should NOT be checked, curbside or at the counter. How will the person get from there to the plane? Instead, it can and should be taken TO the plane and gate-checked at the plane door.

And, I agree with the people who say an an otherwise healthy fourteen year old should be able to propel himself much of the time.

 

[KPeveler]

A wheelchair brought from home should NOT be checked, curbside or at the counter. How will the person get from there to the plane? Instead, it can and should be taken TO the plane and gate-checked at the plane door.

And, I agree with the people who say an an otherwise healthy fourteen year old should be able to propel himself much of the time.

Check with the dr and the local hospital. Sometimes they have good chairs to rent. I was just thinking of the clunkers I used to rent before getting my quickie2.

Also, check out eBay, where I got mine. I got my $2500 chair for $100! If you do some research, that may be easier, and will give you an option for outside of disney as well...