Hi, all - I am all conflicted bc I'm trying to decorate my new wheelchair( "Red" - for travel) and order awareness pins/jewelry but I'm not sure what to do. I know - it's a little late in the game for me to be "unsure," but while I'm admitting things I'll note that I might have joined the wrong sub-group here. My bad. Cerebellum, brain-stem, I dunno. I'm trying to schedule a follow-up with my surgeon in Oregon and I'll ask him about the exact location then (I moved to the D.C. area 3 years ago after the bleed and am planning my first trip back). I heard that March is Brain Injury awareness month (color = green), which is nice and general, but then I've seen it referred to more specifically as for Traumatic Brain Injury. I have heard compelling and definitive opinions from medical professionals on both sides of the "acquired" vs. "traumatic" argument for AVMs, and am inclined to go with an old comment I read from dancermom who said an AVM is technically an ABI but shares many traits with TBI. Anyway, I ordered a green colored thing and a burgundy colored thing just to be safe, but I'm still curious - are you planning to celebrate BI awareness month, and are you going with green, burgundy or both?
PS. It's a little sad to acknowledge that I need a wheelchair (even if only for travel, e.g. at the airport) but to make this happier my friend J has vowed to bedazzle it for me. We have a Pinterest board dedicated to this. (Flames. I need flames).
PPS. I'm obviously "Burgundy for Life" but aesthetically I prefer green - plus it matches the Ben's Friends butterfly logo.
I have no idea of the colors of these things but,.. for what it's worth. I prefer green. To me green is more upbeat and helps me to feel more lively, should I say.
An other thing - NEVER feel ashamed of using a wheelchair! I've been considering getting one myself. Because my legs are getting weaker and I can't walk far or very long, depending on my day. We all do what we have to do (wink & smiles --> a smiley wink, hee hee).
Thanks for the awareness for March; I had no idea.
Regarding color, either green or burgundy, as was already said, probably depends on your personal preference. When I think of green, I think limes, the herb rosemary, and fresh regrowth of green plants and grass - which psychologically to me means zippy, zesty, or new.
On the other hand, burgundy is a warm color which reminds me of comfort food and a warm fire or heat and is like blood, necessary to live.
Both seem interesting; however, it depends on what reflects your personality best.
As far as the color combos, to avoid either clashing (burgundy with red) or donning Christmas colors (green with red), you could use like a mix or blend-ish of the two colors.
As far as using a wheelchair, I say use the tools that will help you prevent from falling and further injuring yourself.
Hi Ben - thank you! Actually, getting a chair is a significant victory for me as I've been lobbying hard for one for 1.5+ years. My parents have not wanted one in the house in case I am tempted to sit in it too much. But the way things are now I realize I can do more and travel more in a chair and it is so convenient to have one I like on hand. Since I know it will be my means of doing more of what I want - you're right, I won't be ashamed. :) If you decide to look for one, I got a great deal on CraigsList! :)atnt
Burgundy is the official color for brain aneurysms which is celebrated in the month of September, AVM and brain injury awareness are in October and it shares the burgundy color with BAs...I'd go with green because I'm unsure of the official color. I celebrate AVM awareness month in October and stroke awareness in May. I celebrate by bombing my Facebook with links and photos of AVMs, related diseases, symdromes, symptoms and other conditions. And I have my Pinterest board for randomly related stories and whatnot.
Don't be ashamed of your wheelchair. I don't use mine and people ask why when they see me struggling or freaking out because the wind blew harder than expected. I like to push myself hard so I walk with my cane and I swear more people stare at my cane than they ever did my chair. One day, I hope to be away from the cane, out of my brace and able to walk by a clothing rack without my stupid hand deciding to pop out and hook a finger in a shirt (I have a lot of tone in my elbow and it makes my hand stick out sometimes).
There are some wonderful jewelry pieces for both Brain and AVM Awareness at this site. Dawn is a Brain Aneurysm survivor and has a passion to design this jewelry so that we can wear them as survivors loudly & proudly - she even designed the AVM butterfly logo much like Ben's logo too :))
Thanks for the info, Kristi! I thought of you a few days ago bc I've heard you mention how that pesky arm will get "stuck" in doorways and stuff. I was in the kitchen, walking to the tea kettle and my left hand's index finger got stuck in a basket of potatoes. I was minding my own beeswax and it jumped out of nowhere! :)
Quite right - I'm going with the "use the tools" idea especially since I'm learning to do what I can on my feet, but there's no need to get hurt at the airport or anything. Thanks :)
Yes! That happens to me all the time. My hand and arm, mostly from the elbow to the finger tips have their own thing going on. I spent a lot of time trying to learn to make room for my left body as if it is its own entity LOL