Video: Paralyzed bride-to-be determined to walk down the aisle |
Paralyzed bride-to-be, Jennifer Darmon, says she is determined not to let her wheelchair stop her from walking down the aisle on her wedding day in April.
The Top 23 Winter Survival Tips for People Living With Paralysis |
Courtesy of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
Cotton Kills!
1. Invest in good quality outer wear. Stick to name brands like The North Face, Patagonia, Hot Chillys, and Obermeyer.
2. Dress in layers. Wear loose, lightweight, warm clothing in several layers. Trapped air between the layers acts as an insulator and layers can be removed to avoid perspiration and subsequent chill. (Remember, layers can always be taken off.)
3. Avoid cotton, when it gets wet, it stays wet. Search and rescue teams stress that cotton once wet stays wet, allowing hypothermia to set in quickly. Instead, try clothing made from moisture-wicking fabric like Under Armour, polypropylene or any man-made fibers. Better yet, wool will still keep the body temperature up, even when wet.
Keeping your hands warm
4. Mittens for hands if opening fingers is challenging.
5. Carry two pairs of gloves with you at all times in the likelihood that one pair gets wet. Make sure the gloves are lined for the best protection.
6. Wet, cold hands cause a chill to set in quicker. If hands become cold put them under arms in arm pit or crotch area to warm rapidly. These areas are the warmest parts of the body.
Stay frostbite free
7. Head, feet, and hands lose heat the quickest. Always wear a hat or cap on your head since half of your body heat could be lost through an uncovered head.
8. If participating in outdoor sports, wear a full head mask, helmet, and neck warmer.
9. It’s very 1980s, yes, but both men and women can keep calves warm with leggings.
10. Use something like Grabber warmers that can be put in pockets and gloves to keep hands warm. These are not good for feet because you can’t regulate the heat.
11. Boot warmers can be very helpful keeping feet warm and dry. Remember to check skin when first using boot warmers. Hotronic is a good product.
Skin protection especially when it’s cold
12. Wear sunscreen! Even in the winter, sunburn is possible. When the sun reflects off the snow, severe sunburn can occur, especially under your nose and the bottom of your ears.
13. Apply Vaseline to the areas of your face that are not going to be covered. It acts as a moisture insulator and helps prevent your face from getting dry or chapped in the cold air.
14. Consistently check for any exposed skin. Shirts and jackets have a tendency to roll up on the back of wheelchairs.
Snow tires for your wheelchair?
15. You should invest in snow tires for both your wheelchair and car. Tires made from a soft rubber work best for gripping snow and ice.
16. For your wheelchair, mountain bike tires can be used as they have more traction.
17. For your car, snow tires are important because they have tread patterns that are designed to grab onto snow and ice. They also help to prevent from getting stuck.
18. Never use cruise control while driving in the winter. The time it takes to remove the cruise control is enough to send a vehicle spinning out of control.
Dealing with dehydration
19. Hydration is critical in winter weather. When the body gets dehydrated cold sets in more easily. Skin becomes dried out from heating and cold temps more so then in summer.
20. You can become dehydrated much more quickly in dry climates and high altitudes. Keep your body oxygenated by drinking lots of water.
What should be in your survival kit?
21. When traveling in winter weather, have a survival kit in your vehicle or backpack. The kit should include water, matches, food, shovel, flashlight, blankets, sleeping bag, and flares. Storms roll in quickly and getting stranded in a snow storm can be cold and dangerous. (Of course, make sure your cell phone is charged and you have a full tank of gas.)
22. Batteries lose 60% of their charge when the temperature reaches 0 degrees. Keep batteries warm with covers.
Make your own boot
23. Candace Cable, Executive Director of Turning Point Tahoe, which creates outdoor recreation and environmental education for people with disabilities in the Trucker/Tahoe are, creates her own specialized snow boot for winter weather.
She used a boiled wool slipper from Norway. “I had it made from a child’s slipper I saw in a store,” explains Candace. “I contacted the person that made it and asked them to make some for me.” Boiled wool slipperd can also be found online.
“There’s a hard white plastic piece I put on the bottom. Then there is a tall cover made of a waterproof material that I again had made to cover the slipper.”
To assemble all the pieces together, Candace says, “First the tall outer cover, then the plastic, and then the slipper, and of course my foot goes in the slipper. The idea is if it doesn’t exist create it!”