It has been 4 years since I had my injury. During these four years I lived in the
same house where I had lived for the last 12 years. We loved our house. It was the perfect house for my
family. It was in the perfect subdivision, with the perfect neighbors.
My injury changed my house from the perfect house to a house
that did not work for us. It was not really accessible. I could not fit everywhere. I spent the
last 4 years not being able to go to my twin daughter’s room, four years not
being able to read to them and tuck them, 4 years not enjoying my basement, my
back yard. Going to my room
everyday was a big ordeal. I had to transfer from my chair to a chair lift,
from the chair lift to another chair. I did this every time had to go to my
room. There was only one bathroom
that I could use. Moving around
the house was always an obstacle race.
Worse of all, there was only one exit I could use in case of an
emergency.
After 4 years of dreaming, saving, working hard, we finally
built and moved to the house of our dreams. Our dearest cousin Luz Montiel, our architect, executed our
vision of a fully accessible house and at the same time incorporated the most
beautiful design elements resulting in architectural work of art. I might be a bit biased but for me it
is a work of art. Similarly, I was
lucky enough to hire Marty Ankers and Paul Shrieve from HIGHLANDER COMMUNITY to build our house. They did not only worked with the utmost professionalism but took this project as a
personal challenge going always the extra mile to make sure that the end result was what we wanted, expected
and more.
Life in a wheelchair has always the added annoyance of not
having the freedom of going to places without fearing the possibility that
place will not be accessible. It
just takes a narrow door in the bathroom, several steps in an entrance, narrow
space between tables to make it difficult to go to a restaurant, a park, a
friend’s house. I really was
dreaming the time where at least in my house I could feel I belong to. Being
able to get to every corner of my house has been liberating and unleashing. For
the first time after 4 years I am finally able to experience what it feels like
being at home. I can take a nap on my bed whenever I feel like. I don’t have to rely on someone to help
me get to my deck when I want to enjoy a glass of wine. I can hide in the basement when I am
going through a dark moment phase. I can read to my girls at bedtime. I can
tuck them. I now can bring coffee
to my wife in bed same as she has been doing in the 4 last year (I have not
done it very often but I have done it J.)
My teen kids are not very thrilled. I can now get to their rooms and discover how
messy they are.
I dedicate this blog to my comadre Luz who patiently worked
with us to ensure that we could call our house our dream house. I thank her for considering every
detail to ensure our house was truly accessible, for keeping us honest, for her
tireless dedication, for always going the extra mile, for making this project a
personal project.
