18.04.2020
The Locked-In Traveler
(Kati’s Wheelchair Traveling Journals)
On the road again
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In September 2019, we (my husband Henning, my two assistants and I) made a two-week road trip to Brussels, Belgium. It was the second time that I would be taking such a trip. We did it once before to the Netherlands in 2013.
07.04.2020
The Locked-In Traveler
(Kati’s Wheelchair Traveling Journals)
Californian Friendship
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After I became paralyzed, some friends just faded away. However, others reached out to me. It is just how it is; you win some you lose some. Trust me; it is not a phenomenon that only people that are struck by tragedy must go through. It is how life works, and it happens to all of us.
29.03.2020
The Locked-In Traveler
(Kati’s Wheelchair Traveling Journals)
The Longtail Boat
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Our stay in Phuket, Thailand in winter 2001 was one of the sun, sand, and sea. The opposite of the gray, snow, and cold of back home. We did not do anything more but drink, eat, and enjoy the warm weather. The only thing we saw in two weeks was the hotel and the surrounding areas. Well, except for a two-hour trip to the city center and a night out to see Phuket Fantasia, which is the city’s biggest show in town.
16.03.2020
The Locked-In Traveler
(Kati’s Wheelchair Traveling Journals)
Fasten your seat belt
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My inability to make my body move is because my brainstem is severely damaged. Making it; that the messages from my brain to my muscles do not go through.
28.02.2020
The Locked-In Traveler
(Kati’s Wheelchair Traveling Journals)
Thai Restroom Experience
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Phuket town is often overlooked in favor of the beaches, but there is a lot to see and do in this old town full of heritage buildings. Phuket Town features an exciting mix of old and new, simple and sophisticated, peaceful and pulsating.
19.02.2020
The Locked-In Traveler
(Kati’s Wheelchair Traveling Journals)
European Road Trip
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I cannot be spontaneous anymore. In my state, I cannot just to jump into a car and go unless it is a place very near. We must plan or at least think about where and when well, before picking up the keys. Major issues that we must consider are; timetables, assistants schedules, accessibility, and restrooms.
03.02.2020
The Locked-In Traveler
(Kati’s Wheelchair Traveling Journals)
Grandfather´s house
Even though I am born in Finland, I never liked the cold at all. People here in Finland have a saying; “It is not cold; you are just not well dressed.” I have my own saying; “no matter how nice you color coat it, no matter how well you dress, it does not change the fact that it is freezing cold.”
22.01.2020
The Locked-In Traveler
(Kati’s Wheelchair Traveling Journals)
Venice
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Venice, Italy is considered to be one of the most inaccessible tourist destinations in the world for wheelchair users. That used to be the case but not so much anymore.
07.01.2020
Celebrating 25 Years of Locked-In Syndrome
(Tribute to a Wonderful Life)
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January 10th, 2020, is the 25th anniversary of the stroke. An average cerebral infarction takes about six minutes. Mine took over twenty hours. In all this time, the doctors could not figure out what was going on with me. They ruled stroke out because the thinking at the time was that; only people over forty years get brain infarcts. I was only twenty years old at the time.
01.01.2020
The Locked-In Traveler
(Kati’s Wheelchair Traveling Journals)
Pool Pleasure
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Going to pool is my favorite therapy because usually, my body feels heavy but, in the water, I feel weightless.
The swimming pool at the therapy center does not have a ramp, but a chair with a small crane. By the pool, the therapist first puts the floating device around my waist. Then I am transferred from my wheelchair to the pool chair, and then I am lowered into the pool.
