When I was in kindergarten I had this friend Jamie, we were pretty much inseparable. The following summer after kindergarten, Jamie was climbing on a pile of bricks and they came crashing down on her and crushed her legs. I’m not sure the exact details as I was young and mostly focused on the wheelchair/attention she received, but I know that it was fairly serious requiring her to be in a wheelchair for at least 4 months then crutches for another 2 or so.
I was very jealous of Jamie and her wheelchair; I desperately wanted one of my own. I had a plan...In my backyard we had a dog run and you could easily climb up one side and sit on the top of the fence. At the time it seemed very high and I thought it was the perfect place to break both of my legs. Unfortunately or fortunately, I underestimated the amount of force required to break ones legs and only managed to break my right arm. Being the incredibly smart child that I was, I did not give up after the first failed attempt; I managed to break my arm 2 other times before I gave up the dream of getting my own wheelchair.
I discovered later that I could go around the neighborhood with old oversized crutches pretending to have broken a leg with almost the same effect. Although I thought I had everyone fooled, I’m sure they all looked on me as the 'special' child and gave me attention out of sheer pity that I was so pathetic. I know my parents went through a phase of questioning whether or not I might have all the necessary developmental skills other children my age had. I should have probably just told them I wanted a wheelchair, it would have been cheaper in the end
Lesson to be learned here? Never throw yourself off a fence for a wheelchair; you’ll just end up with a broken arm.
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