A good friend offered up an old wheelchair he wasn’t using to us a few short months after Mom moved home. I was skeptical, as I both thought she would resent it and that it was bad for her– “don’t use em, lose em” is your muscle tone and strength. But, why not, I thought… worst thing that would happen is getting rid of the chair afterwards. Instead we fell in love with going out, being able to relax on our own, mom not needing miracle levels of energy and more. We used that chair until it literally started to come apart at the seams.
We needed a new wheelchair, and that happened quickly when I made a phone call to random guy over Craigslist and it turned out to be someone most Vancouverites over 35 would remember from their late night 80’s TV commercials. He delivered a chair, and even delivered a no-cost replacement when there became issues with the first such delivered chair shortly after we received it. John the Captain, thank you again, she’s still cruising along on her fancy wheels.
Aye-eye and goodbye!
October 1, 2015
When I was growing up in the mid-late eighties I would sometimes sneak on the small black and white TV in my bedroom and watch late TV, like Twilight Zone, or SCTV, or Cindi Lauper playing along with Hulk Hogan. Inevitably, of course, CKVU 13 (the same station I would watch Hercules and Spiderman cartoons on Sunday) would break to commercials and I’d see local businesses and minor celebrity personalities.
A couple of days ago, the wheelchair that has given both Mom and I a large level of freedom to movement was basically dead and I started to try and figure out how to replace it. I moved towards Craigslist fairly quickly (I take my marching orders from Weird Al on that one) and contacted a seller about one of the chairs. The one I was interested in was already sold but this person had several more. I had contacted him first seeing as he lived a few blocks away and that could make easier attempts to get this chair, a bit of an issue to get mom along for the trip.
He asked where I was and told me where his storage locker was, the same location as mine so I offered to head there on foot with mom. He figured out that mobility issues and wheelchairs go together and without my asking (or even really hoping) offered to meet here. I even tried to push back on it, he suggested bringing several chairs over for mom to look at on the street in front of the apartment. We did so, the chairs he brought were not a good fit, but he made notes, went back and did a little rebuilding of two other chairs and brought them over today. One was just perfect and actually a lot cheaper than the prior one.
I’m telling this story because you Vancouver-raised people know who it was: “Aye aye and good-bye!” the Captain, from the midnight 30 second spots. Frankly, when mom goes to bed at night and I come out here to watch bad TV or play video games, et al afterwards it sortof has a feel to it that reminds me of the days I would do that and try desperately not to get caught.
So having John “The Captain” bring the chair was a neat little occurrence, but his extra effort in helping mom and I brought enough more to the story that I’ll happily give him some props and show you the new chair (mom is in it), the old chair and The Captain himself. There is little more directly capitalist than buying things in order to quickly sell them again, but he still brought a little humanity to it and was happy to pose for this little pic.
…and it’s about time a post was about something good going on here. Mom says it’s already much more comfortable. The Captain took the old chair for a $30 discount– Tom, we owe you thirty bucks.
Soon mom and I are using this gorgeous weather for a nice walk in the new more comfortable (and safer) chair.