Rolling with Sarah

Come November 4^th, it was time to fly home. We have to get up early to catch a cab at 6:3- am! The hotel ordered us an accessible cab this time. Man, how easy it was! It was a converted Toyota Sienna minivan. The back opened and out came a ramp. I rolled right up it, and my chair was locked into place. No transfer, no hassle. There were windows and I felt very secure. It was just like being in the back seat.

Once at the airport, the taxi driver helped me out and rolled our bags to the door for us. Side thought: I found Calgary a very friendly city. From the cab drivers to the security guards to the hotel concierge, to the souvenir shop owner, everyone was kind and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Anyway, back on track lol.

We once again couldn’t check in on our phones because I required assistance, but the lady at the Porter service desk was lovely and we had our boarding passes in hand in no time. Even security was super kind and considerate while they patted me down. We made a quick pitstop at a shop to get a T-shirt (I get one everywhere I go) then headed to the gate. As usual, we were the first to board. No problems at all.

It was a nice flight. They had yummy shortbread cookies, plus my salty-loving-self bought some Pringles to munch on too. I may or may not have taken a nap for a few hours. When it was time to get off the plane after we landed, we had a bit of an incident.

As with the flight there, we had the back, the seat and the legs of the chair with us as carry on. All that was down below was the solid frame that folded. It was taking an extra-long time, so we asked what was going on. A flight attendant informed us that my chair was it two pieces, so they were just getting the second piece.

My heart dropped. This was the frame: one piece. If it was in two it was broken. My blood pressure began to rise, and I started to freak out-  internally of course. We informed them that it was only one part, so she went to double check. Longest 5 minutes of my life! Finally, she returned.

“We are so sorry. Your wheelchair is so light, we aren’t used to that, so we thought it was missing a piece. It is all together, and nothing is wrong, they just hadn’t unfolded it,” she told us. What a relief, but really? They couldn’t have double checked before alarming us? Stress I did not need!

After that we got off the plane without a hitch, they did apologize profusely, and I just hoped they learned to check twice before scaring the next customer. My sister met us at arrivals to pick us up. And just like that, our Calgary adventure was over.

To quote my mother, I am “no longer a conference virgin,” lol. It was a whirlwind trip, but I am so happy I went. I learned a lot. I also made some great connections with people I may otherwise have never met. I can’t wait for my next conference!