People use wheelchairs for many different reasons. I need a wheelchair due to spinal cord damage; sometimes, my legs don’t listen to what my brain tells them. I also suffer from chronic pain. Not all of my disabilities are visible, but I limp due to my injuries. My limping severity varies based on my pain level.
Every year, during domestic violence awareness month, I try to muster the guts to share my story because I am a survivor. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced physical, emotional, mental, or sexual abuse by an intimate partner. Sharing that I am a DV survivor is embarrassing because of the attached stigma.
In April 2022 I and my partner met with a friend of ours for lunch at a restaurant in Wildomar. I was able to walk that day and had my service dog Storm with me. He was wearing his service dog vest with a guide handle for me.
During a hospital visit in June 2021, I had a follow-up appointment with one of my specialist doctors. We had been to this location and doctor before and never had any problems. What happened that day was surprising, shocking, and completely unacceptable.
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