The Stroller and Kirk Junior

Everything is in place now from our move downstairs. Most mornings I transfer Cindy from the hospital bed in our “bedroom” to enjoy the outdoors on our porch. Facilitating this transfer is our new door to the porch that Cindy’s brother built for us.

Most afternoons we use the ramp l built for the porch to get Cindy on the road and about town. The final piece of the puzzle was an adult stroller to wheel down that ramp. For those that know me well, no need to snicker, the ramp actually is sturdy and works well.

The stroller makes a big difference over the wheelchair for both of us. The final leg of all our walks involve going up our stone driveway. In the wheelchair this often was difficult. Whenever the small swivel wheels hit a rock we would come to a jarring stop. One of those wheels blew out, similar to the shredded tires from an 18-wheeler you see on a highway. That probably does not happen often to wheelchairs, only those used daily for seven mile jogs.

The stroller is easier to push on all surfaces and grades. I had been constrained this summer to just one route when I wanted to go on a longer excursion. Since the arrival of the stroller I have expanded our routes onto more rugged surfaces, like the wagon road of a local Land Trust trail, and steeper grades, such as ascending to the top of Dennis Hill.

The stroller looks good as well. A neighbor hailed it as the Maserati of mobile seating. I immediately embraced that. Whenever townsfolk see us in the stroller for the first time I shout: “How do you like our new wheels!” I brag about our “Maserati,” adding how looking good and status are so important to Cindy and me. When people know you are unconcerned about appearances you can get away with that kind of “bragging.”

Returning to pragmatic considerations, the stroller provides a more comfortable ride for Cindy. She nuzzles better into the seat, with greater support to maintain fairly good posture. I am able to use pillows and a headrest to extend the support further.

I also put a stuffed polar bear in Cindy’s lap, carefully wrapping her arms around the bear and rewrapping them periodically if the bear slides out. The rotund bear is Kirk Junior. I tell people that Cindy either hugs or chokes Kirk Jr., depending on her mood and the ride I give her.

The inspiration for Kirk Jr. came earlier on with Cindy’s affliction. One day I saw her holding the stuffed bear in her lap, both looking very contented. Since then I have used Kirk Jr. both as a comfort for Cindy and to keep her clinched arms a bit more outstretched.  I used to keep the bear between us at night as well, in order to create the space for me to sleep better.

There is a difference of opinion as to which one of our children once possessed the bear, but Kirk Jr. is our possession now. After Cindy passes away Kirk Jr. will undergo a gender change, an easy thing for stuffed animals. Then she will be Cindy Jr., accompanying me on adventures. At least a few of these adventures will involve the use of the pedicab and/or adult stroller to give rides to folks that could use them.