There’s only one guy in the United States that makes the kind of orthotics that work well for Bethany, and they are nearly 8 years old. After 8 years of the kind of active lifestyle we live, wear is to be expected. Even then, I didn’t exactly expect that Bethany would have worn a hole in the heel of carbon fiber!
So with maybe a week or two notice, we were back to Las Vegas for an emergency repair and overall refreshening of the rivets, straps, Velcro, and all the other pieces that have seen better days. Mitch from Ortho Rehab Designs repairs carbon fiber in-house, a process which fascinated me as he explained it.
Of course, while we waited for the 2-day repair process to finish, we had time on our hands. But without Bethany’s braces, we had to experience Vegas as if the technology to allow Bethany to walk didn’t exist. And that meant some very real on-the-job training in ADA for both of us, and the real-life sociology and difficulties people that use wheelchairs go through every day.
We drove around Vegas and experienced the strip, which has changed quite a bit in the last 8 years. The F1 race just finished up as we were arriving, and it was kind of cool to be driving on the actual track the F1 drivers drove on! Our hotel, the Fontainbleau, had F1 cars and Aston Marton’s in the lobby to celebrate the event. Much of the strip was still in its reconfigured format for the week. The locals were so happy it was over, they couldn’t tell me enough!
We stopped by the Arte Museum which was a very modern museum that tantalized your senses of sight, sound, taste, and smell, so that you were totally immersed in each room with an original artwork. Dozens of projection systems in each room blanketed the walls and floor, and dozens of speakers surrounded you with music and ambient sounds of the scene you were a part of. Each room smelled different, like forest or flowers. Bethany and I colored a picture of an elephant on paper, which after placing underneath a scanner, instantly materialized on the wall and started walking around and trumpeting. In the tea room, when you moved your tea cup around the table, scanners would follow it and create pictures inside your cup which would disappear as you picked it up to take a sip. This was one of the coolest things I’ve done in Vegas!
We returned from Vegas very early Wednesday morning, just in time for a final day of work before the holiday.
Which brings me back to being thankful, for a lot of things. It’s fantastic that technology exists and people exist that strive to better the lives of others. Mitch from Ortho Rehab Designs who designed, engineered, and builds custom carbon fiber braces in his own office. The wonderful bell desk at Fontainebleau that procured a folding wheelchair for us so we could continue with our adventures. All the people that didn’t treat us any differently along the way.
And outside of the trip, I remain thankful for my family. I remain thankful for the friends that stand beside me in my life. I am thankful for good health and the gifts I have received in my life that allow me to live the way I do. And I am very thankful for Bethany.
Thanksgiving to me is not just the holiday in the way of Christmas. It is truly a time we should all reflect on how lucky we are. Take a few moments today to do just that!
