MY CANE: A TOOL FOR INDEPENDENCE
By Alan Flynn

As the new millennium grew closer, I began to notice occasional pain in my left knee. My trusted doctor diagnosed arthritis and encouraged exercise to strengthen the muscles around the knee. Regular sessions on a stationary bike – as well as a sensible, self-imposed weight loss program – were helpful, but the knee began to complain more frequently. My balance, which was never excellent, became even more dicey as I flinched or moved awkwardly in response to pain. Stubbornly, I soldiered on without support. A few falls convinced me that further soldiering like this was foolishly risking serious injury. Reluctantly, I went shopping for a cane.
 

I remember that day as if it happened yesterday. The store offered a large selection, but all of the canes seemed so clumsy and institutional. Even now in midlife, I was struggling again to come to grips with a handicapping condition. It was no fun. Finally I found a cane that my pride would let me use – because it didn’t look like a cane. It had a ball on the top instead of a hooked handle, and it was black instead of silver or gray. I remarked to myself: It’s more like a gentleman’s walking stick. The best part was that the walking stick folded so that I could store it (okay, hide it) in my briefcase most of the time. I exited the store stick in hand, still extraordinarily ill at ease.
 

In spite of my painful self-consciousness, I had to admit that walking was no longer painful, nor was it as difficult. I began to relax. I no longer hide the cane in my briefcase. Today I use it all the time. I still use a ball on the top instead of a hook because it’s much handier, but I don’t think of it as a debonair walking stick. I see it simply as a helpful tool – like eyeglasses or a shoehorn. It allows me to move about without fear. My dreaded cane has become a blessing.
(Taken from a United Cerebral Palsy blog.)