First Flight!

Over the past four years, before the accident, I flew over a million miles with Delta and its partner airlines (and some others...so I guess well more than a million miles). Flying was second nature. It was seamless and easy. I learned that I could only control what I could control, and that to stress out in the face of weather or mechanical issues was a lot of wasted energy. To be honest, it's not glamorous, though it sounds like it would be ... it's actually pretty unhealthy. But, I loved to travel, to see new places, or to hop on a quick flight and to see my nieces or visit my parents. I realized pretty quickly after the accident that that would be more challenging now. Not to mention that I wouldn't get exit rows anymore...I'm 6'5", so you can imagine I like my exit rows!

I knew another of my hurdles would be flying again, and this weekend I tackled this challenge. I flew to Cincinnati to visit family, to celebrate both Passover and Easter, and my niece's 2nd birthday!

Of course, I was nervous, and I invited my friend Heidi to accompany me on the trip. I did a whole bunch of research before hand and heard all the horror stories. But the Delta team was awesome -- they met us at the airport, helped me to get through security, and then met us at the gate again when it was time to board. The wheelchair and boarding management is outsourced to a third party vendor, but they too were awesome. A few lessons: I brought an extra cushion for the seat, to provide a bit more protection for my skin; when you land, without trunk support, you need to brace yourself so you don't get thrown forward; and make sure you take all the removable parts of your wheelchair off so nothing gets lost!

All in all, it was a seamless experience. First on, last off. Be patient, and remember that everything takes longer -- be safe, take your time, and be gracious to those who are helping you.