November 21 - A Plane Adventure

Note:  Everything is more complicated when you are in a wheelchair.

With a friend's help, we were able to get 2 standby airline tickets so that AJ and I could return home for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the plane to Pasco was full so our choices became: 1. wait for the next flight to Pasco which was in 3 hours, but we were still not guaranteed a seat; or 2. we could get on a plane to Spokane leaving in 30 minutes where John would pick us up. We opted for Spokane and our adventure began!

When a wheelchair bound individual goes through airport security they have to be very thoroughly checked.  Since this was our 2nd time through security that morning, and the same people were still working, I was hoping they'd be a little more lenient, thus a little faster.  But, the procedure was the same so by the time AJ was done we had to run to make it to the gate. (I have to give props to airport security for keeping it safe!)

This is how we were told AJ would board a plane:

1. He is taken before other passengers to get loaded on the plane.
2. He is transferred to a small, narrow chair on wheels that can fit through the isle of the plane.
3. The chair parks next to the isle seat he is sitting in and he is transferred to that chair.
4. Buckle in.
5. After landing, wait for all passengers to unload.
6. He transfers back to the small, narrow chair on wheels.
7. Exits the plane and is transferred back to his own wheelchair.
As Murphy's Law requires, it wasn't quite so smooth.


The passengers had already been loaded on the plane and were waiting for a mechanical problem to be fixed before taking off. Because of this problem the air conditioning was off. As we entered this crowded sauna :), we realized that AJ had been assigned middle chair! What was the possibility that the 2 workers could lift AJ (6'3" 185 lbs) over one person and into a middle chair with passengers seated on both sides and in front and back?  Luckily there was one isle seat further down the plane, so the workers headed for that one. AJ could not help the workers transfer him, but was patient as we all worked to get him into the chair and situated. He was fortunate to be seated by 2 kind women who helped him with his snacks and anything else he needed.  When we landed, these ladies patiently waited as the entire plane unloaded before AJ was transferred to the narrow chair on wheels and taken out. They loved talking with him and might have been willing to adopt him if he needed it! What a blessing to have such good people to be seated by.

John was waiting for us at the airport (in a wheelchair accessible van that a friend of a friend loaned us) and we headed home for AJ's first visit since the accident.

It was awesome to be back! We were welcomed by Bradley and Caleb's fine artwork and by a ramp into the house that was built in a flash by some caring friends. It felt good to be together again!