Almost 15 years ago, I was felled by a herniated disc for the second time in my life (the first was in 1988) and suddenly, because of nerve damage, lost the ability to lift or pull back my right foot and toes. This is called a "Dropped Foot".
My Doc rushed me into surgery, hoping to fix my back AND my foot, but only the back pain went away - my right foot remains "dropped" to this day. I can push down without any problem, meaning that driving is still part of my routine, but I had to learn to walk quite differently, and that first year I tripped at least two or three times a week until I got it down.
Years have passed, and most people have been unaware of my dropped foot unless I point it out. I love walking barefoot, but need to be extra careful since my toes can easily curl under. I've tripped on occasion when my foot got tired, but for the most part I was fine.
Then, I did two stupid things.
First, I tried to run. BIG mistake! It caused a ham string injury that took almost a year to heal. Then, on Fathers Day last year, I tried stepping over a velvet rope at Universal, and immediately fell flat on my knees. That was painful enough, but because I'd weakened my knee, I started tripping all over the place and injuring my knee over and over until it required surgery.
I'm now fully recovered, though I carry a walking stick most places because falling down just isn't an option anymore.
Anyway, while recovering, my knee doctor got me a temporary handicapped parking placard.
OH MY GOD…
If there is such a thing as Nirvana within day-to-day city life, the handicapped placard is the Golden Ticket.
Los Angeles is a car town - end of story. Driving and parking is 95% of our daily reality. Parking is the Wild Card that can make or break a day trip or nighttime date. If you can't Park, you can't DO.
The Handicapped Parking Spot was SUCH an unattainable thing, that even after getting my placard, I kept forgetting to use it. But once I started, I knew I could never go back. Not only do you park way close to wherever you're going, even on a crowded day, but you also get to park for free, ALL DAY LONG, in front of parking meters. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
My original placard was good for 6 weeks but took 4 weeks to get to me. When I returned to my doctor, I made the case that my knee injury was the result of my dropped foot, and having a "Compromised" extremity is all you need for a permanent placard. Surely I qualified? But no - he felt that since he wasn't the doctor who diagnosed my dropped foot, he couldn't use that to get me permanent free-spot status. He did extend the temporary placard for another six weeks, however.
Not to be deterred, I then visited my GP, and she saw the logic and signed the form immediately.
I'm now waiting to see if that blue placard does indeed show up in my mail. If not, I'll be fighting to get it however long it takes.
Having a dropped foot is certainly not the worst thing that could befall somebody, and I've always been grateful for my relatively good health. A few surgeries, meningitis, and diabetes are child's play compared with all the debilitating shit that's out there.
But I feel I've been a stoic and uncomplaining member of this city for the 15 years since my foot injury, and if the injury is now threatening to pop up and derail everything I've worked for, I think it's totally acceptable to use any assistance that's legally and morally available to me.
