HANGING AROUND DOWNTOWN

On the roof of the Royal Bank Building, 18 floors above the ground, I was asked if I was nervous about rappelling down the side of the building. I can honestly say no, I wasn’t. I was confident I would be properly secured. They wouldn’t allow me to be doing this unless they were confident it could be done. Besides, the money raised was going towards programs to support persons with disabilities, and I thought it was important that people with disabilities be full participants in the event. With Franklin D. Roosevelt as my mentor, I had convinced myself that, “the only thing to fear is fear itself”. And so I chose to deny fear.

That being said, there’s something very unnatural about hanging over the edge of a building with nothing under your wheels but the ground 200 feet below. We’re not supposed to be hanging in the air. We’re built for the ground. When you get over the edge and your wheels are spinning on their own accord without any help – that is undoubtedly the scariest part. These first 10 to 20 seconds are all-consuming. Every fiber of your body is focused on fighting the desire to yell, “No more! Get me up!” Once you realize you’re completely off the roof, but not falling, you can take it all in. From there, just enjoy the ride, and the view. Unlike the able-bodied people who face the building as they go down, people in wheelchairs descend facing forward. I don’t know which way is scarier, but I certainly got a better view of the city. Who said there are no advantages to being in a wheelchair?