Not sure if this should be on the trip reports board, but I figured since it really dealt with disabilities the post belonged here.
My DW and I went to WDW recently - from Oct 21 to 31st - and stayed poly LV concierge. Very nice room, awesome view. But the reason I bring this up is because of what happened on our vacation. Please be patient with me as the disability part IS in there!
I have heart disease and had my 16th heart surgery a month before heading to WDW. Not a big deal really, just had 3 heart stents installed. Turned out I'd had a heart attack 4 months ago so it was nice to get my 30,000 mile service done so I'd be ready for the Food and Wine festival at Epcot. Now THATS important! Hehehe gotta have your priorities right after all.
I had some complications a week or so later after getting the stents installed and had to go back to the hospital for a couple days to get my arteries powerflushed with clot disolving drugs. 23 hours to hooked to that durn machine. No matter, WDW was calling and soon I'd be there with my cute DW!
The doc did a great job and I felt like a 20 year old when I got out. (I'm 46 so thats feeling mighty good!) The time came and we took a non-stop out to MCO from LAX. But something happened on that flight... I fell asleep and woke up not feeling quite right. We arrived at WDW and the Poly was wonderful! Its where DW and I had our honeymoon years ago.
But no matter how much I'd rest, I couldn't get me strength back. Walking around tired me very quickly and was accompanied by that old familiar angina. Either a blood clot had developed on the flight or I'd had another heart attack. Physcially I was smoked. It was so bad we took a taxi from the flying fish restaurant back to the poly and my DW got a CM to give me a ride in a "golf" cart back to the Hawaii building.
I took some asprin and a plavix and felt better, but even so the stamina thing wasn't getting better. What to do? Poly Concierge to the rescue. They gave us a wheelchair to use during our entire trip. They gave my DW so much help with so many other things it was just amazing. Those concierge people are wonderful! Without them, I think our vacation would have turned our quite differently.
With a poly wheel chair, I could take it in and out of the parks and not worry about having to walk. Even standing for short periods was difficult. But the wheelchair at least got me out of the hotel room. What a blessing!
The most amazing thing happened! Now if your read some of the DIS shock and horror threads you'd be ready for any sort of nasty behavior at WDW: people flashing, throwing dirty diapers, mass public urination and topless french women. But kindness? Whoa.
I'm brand new to the wheelchair experience, and being in one for pretty much the whole vacation was a real education. Who would have thought the outside door to the men's restroom would seem to weigh 300 pounds? (when you're in a chair that is.) Try to open the door from your chair and it felt like my heart would burst. I learned how to navigate, use those little brakes and how to avoid getting trampled by the herds of people going by.
But time and again, strangers - not Disney employees who are being paid to be courteous - would come up and say "Hey buddy, let me get that door for you!" Or in the food court, "Hey, I bet you're going to need a straw for that drink... here, let me get you one." Or, "Say, you want any condiments for that burger. And I know you'll want some ketchup for your fries. Let me get that for you."
Everywhere I went I ran into the most wonderful and kind people. I met lots of folks who were in wheelchairs as well, and they gave me "how to" tips which, boy, really came in handy. You guys are the best!
I live in southern california. And there are some nice folks here too, but I never thought there would be so many of them at WDW. Kind & helpful people were everywhere! I still am overwhelmed when I think about it.
I really wanted to rent one of the sail boats at the Poly, but it would have been too physcially demanding for me. And that was a big disapointment as I'd wanted to do it on our honeymoon but couldn't then either due to health reasons. Yet it didn't matter. Because of the folks I met, this trip was the best WDW trip I've ever had. Who would have imagined there were still so many kind people in the world? The wheelchair was the best thing thats happened to me in I don't know when.
Well, Mission Space was pretty slick too.... heheheh (Don't worry, I pre-medicated before the ride with nitroglycerin so I wouldn't have a heart attack.)
Its back to the hospital for me this Friday for more heart work. You know, if they were car mechanics, they would be gettin' sued by now.....
Darian
My DW and I went to WDW recently - from Oct 21 to 31st - and stayed poly LV concierge. Very nice room, awesome view. But the reason I bring this up is because of what happened on our vacation. Please be patient with me as the disability part IS in there!
I have heart disease and had my 16th heart surgery a month before heading to WDW. Not a big deal really, just had 3 heart stents installed. Turned out I'd had a heart attack 4 months ago so it was nice to get my 30,000 mile service done so I'd be ready for the Food and Wine festival at Epcot. Now THATS important! Hehehe gotta have your priorities right after all.
I had some complications a week or so later after getting the stents installed and had to go back to the hospital for a couple days to get my arteries powerflushed with clot disolving drugs. 23 hours to hooked to that durn machine. No matter, WDW was calling and soon I'd be there with my cute DW!
The doc did a great job and I felt like a 20 year old when I got out. (I'm 46 so thats feeling mighty good!) The time came and we took a non-stop out to MCO from LAX. But something happened on that flight... I fell asleep and woke up not feeling quite right. We arrived at WDW and the Poly was wonderful! Its where DW and I had our honeymoon years ago.
But no matter how much I'd rest, I couldn't get me strength back. Walking around tired me very quickly and was accompanied by that old familiar angina. Either a blood clot had developed on the flight or I'd had another heart attack. Physcially I was smoked. It was so bad we took a taxi from the flying fish restaurant back to the poly and my DW got a CM to give me a ride in a "golf" cart back to the Hawaii building.
I took some asprin and a plavix and felt better, but even so the stamina thing wasn't getting better. What to do? Poly Concierge to the rescue. They gave us a wheelchair to use during our entire trip. They gave my DW so much help with so many other things it was just amazing. Those concierge people are wonderful! Without them, I think our vacation would have turned our quite differently.
With a poly wheel chair, I could take it in and out of the parks and not worry about having to walk. Even standing for short periods was difficult. But the wheelchair at least got me out of the hotel room. What a blessing!
The most amazing thing happened! Now if your read some of the DIS shock and horror threads you'd be ready for any sort of nasty behavior at WDW: people flashing, throwing dirty diapers, mass public urination and topless french women. But kindness? Whoa.
I'm brand new to the wheelchair experience, and being in one for pretty much the whole vacation was a real education. Who would have thought the outside door to the men's restroom would seem to weigh 300 pounds? (when you're in a chair that is.) Try to open the door from your chair and it felt like my heart would burst. I learned how to navigate, use those little brakes and how to avoid getting trampled by the herds of people going by.
But time and again, strangers - not Disney employees who are being paid to be courteous - would come up and say "Hey buddy, let me get that door for you!" Or in the food court, "Hey, I bet you're going to need a straw for that drink... here, let me get you one." Or, "Say, you want any condiments for that burger. And I know you'll want some ketchup for your fries. Let me get that for you."
Everywhere I went I ran into the most wonderful and kind people. I met lots of folks who were in wheelchairs as well, and they gave me "how to" tips which, boy, really came in handy. You guys are the best!
I live in southern california. And there are some nice folks here too, but I never thought there would be so many of them at WDW. Kind & helpful people were everywhere! I still am overwhelmed when I think about it.
I really wanted to rent one of the sail boats at the Poly, but it would have been too physcially demanding for me. And that was a big disapointment as I'd wanted to do it on our honeymoon but couldn't then either due to health reasons. Yet it didn't matter. Because of the folks I met, this trip was the best WDW trip I've ever had. Who would have imagined there were still so many kind people in the world? The wheelchair was the best thing thats happened to me in I don't know when.
Well, Mission Space was pretty slick too.... heheheh (Don't worry, I pre-medicated before the ride with nitroglycerin so I wouldn't have a heart attack.)
Its back to the hospital for me this Friday for more heart work. You know, if they were car mechanics, they would be gettin' sued by now.....
Darian
