Field Trip Foiled

We've been waiting for Neil's turn. Every so often the rec. department plans a fun trip for a few chosen patients. We've seen the lucky ones go bowling, to the zoo, and to the airport to practice boarding a plane. Neil's chance finally came and yesterday I was informed he was invited to attend this exciting event. What? Doesn't everyone want to go to the Abilities Expo in Edison? Even though we don't need a souped up wheelchair or a van with a lift, at least Neil would get a chance to leave Kessler for a little while and besides, we could use a shower chair until he gets a little more stable. So we looked forward to today's outing.

What we were told would be a thirty minute drive to get there, ended up taking over an hour because the van driver had faulty directions. By the time we arrived, everyone's noon meds were due to be taken, so we had to register quickly and make our way through the center to the back to eat lunch, etc. As I've mentioned before, eating takes a little while, so we were anxious and ready to pick up our freebies and shop for our chair by the time lunch was over. We had no sooner walked to our first booth to admire the lovely bathroom amenities when I got a call from our favorite rec. therapist that one of the patients on the trip was ill and we'd need to meet back at the front of the expo center to board the van back to Kessler in fifteen minutes. Bummer. It could have been fun, but we'll never know. It was a good place to go for Neil's first real outing, brief though it was. I realize a tall young man wearing a snowboarding helmet covered in stickers in the middle of spring is going to get a few stares. But at this particular event, the looks he and I got said, "I get it. My heart goes out to you. Good luck and God bless."

Here's Neil later in the day with animals he's received from special friends. We're starting to pack things up for the trip home on Monday, so we had to get one last shot with them here.