This will be the 11th and final Post-Polio Wellness Retreat at Bay Cliff Health Camp.
Attending this retreat feels like you’re living in a happy postcard!
It’s a wonderful time away.
Lake Superior is calling you…
Hope you will think about signing up for this post-pandemic opportunity to restore and rejuvenate.
Sunny
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
The following story is about a spiritual pilgrimage through Portugal and Spain.
Susan Peters, the main author of the account, has a spinal cord injury and is a full time wheelchair user. Her story of spiritual renewal, physical daring and warmhearted camaraderie makes me want to return to Europe to travel “The Way” like she did. It must have been such a beautiful experience. See if you agree…
—Sunny
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By: Susan Peters with Sunny Roller
The Camino de Santigo or “Way of St. James” is a mostly mountainous route that adventure travelers take 
to reach the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Tradition has it that the remains of Jesus’ apostle, James, are buried at this cathedral in northwestern Spain. Hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims and many others set out each year from a variety of popular starting points across Europe, to make their way to the sacred site. Most travel by foot, some by bicycle, and a few travel, as their medieval counterparts did, on horseback or by donkey. Learning this, I decided to try it last Fall–using my wheelchair.
I’ve been a manual wheelchair user due to paraplegia from a spinal cord injury for 40 of my 68 years and I am still looking for adventure and mountains to climb. So, when a friend of mine suggested that I test my audacity and dare to set off on a wheeling expedition for hundreds of miles along the Camino de Santiago, in Europe, my eyes lit up. In need of personal renewal and sparked by the possibilities of this expedition, I made a commitment to travel “The Way.” Not just for its physical challenges, but also to rejuvenate my zest for life.
There are many routes to the cathedral. Pilgrims on the Way of St. James walk for weeks or months to visit the city of Santiago de Compostela. Some Europeans begin their pilgrimage on foot from the very doorstep of their homes.
Soon I had recruited my hardy crew of four people–two hired guides from Portuguese Green Walks and two great friends. After avidly planning the trip’s daily itinerary, off we flew to Portugal on September 25th.There are many different routes to choose for this strenuous pilgrimage to St. James’ resting place, but to receive the certificate for traveling The Way, one must clock at least 120 kilometers and stay on a route marked with yellow arrows. I selected the Portuguese way, beginning in the city of Valenca then along ancient paths north into Spain. Once I determined the route, the hard part was convincing people it could be done by wheelchair. Wrapped up in this initial challenge was actually finding a set of strong-willed, committed, physically-able helpers who not only believed it could be done, but also wanted to go. They were out there. I just had to look.
Ready to roll from the beginning, Susan and friend Nuno, face a rocky road ahead.
Excited and ready to roll at the starting point, I immediately confronted several dozen stone steps leading down-down-down to a narrow ancient path and then a dirt trail. That was when reality hit me–this excursion would not be the slightest bit easy. Every hotel was slightly different; so I was glad I had my friends with me to help with shower and toilet transfers, which was the hardest part of the trip, really. By day seven, the rough terrain had snapped off all of the metal screws on my front foot plate, and I had to continue the journey with a wheelchair that was partially duct-taped together. As we pushed ahead, we came across so many gorgeous sites that also became challenging delights. We walked and rolled through bustling ancient towns and pastoral cow pastures. We forded streams and bumped over bridges only a few inches wider than the wheelchair.
The countryside.
Pushing and pulling, we climbed steep hills and zig-zagged our way down rugged, bumpy Roman roads that had been laid in ancient times using boulders or giant stones. Not easy or comfortable to roll over.
In spite of the obstacles we bashed up against from start to finish, this adventure through Portugal and Spain exceeded every one of my dreams. All along the way, human warmth and camaraderie carried us. I met pilgrims from the U.S., Brazil, Korea, New Zealand, Serbia, and from other parts of Europe.
The cuisine.
With spontaneous chances to intermingle every day, fellow sojourners and I took delight in sharing warm companionship and stories of our trek. The people who live along the Camino wanted to commune and gave me a joyful sense of belonging. They energized us with constant encouragement, welcoming smiles, and nourishment of all kinds. And they shared so much–from replenishing my water supply, to enfolding us in big bear hugs, to sharing important secrets about the trails ahead.
With each new dawn I felt a fresh sense of renewal and restoration. As we continued to walk and roll along the rocky hillsides and over singing woodland rivers, my companions and I came to hear The Way’s new harmonies that seemed to be caroling just for us. We sang and danced. We hugged trees. We savored delicious hot meals–oysters, clams, rice, sausage, kale soup and Portuguese wine graciously served up at our wayside inns. We happily stopped at so many shrines and churches along the way, praying for the power of love to heal our world’s wounded.
Susan (center front) and comrades finally arrive at the cathedral.
After 120 kilometers, we arrived in Santiago at noon on day ten of our journey, just in time for Mass at the cathedral. Quickly escorted to a front row seat, I was elated to experience the famous incense burner dramatically swinging right above my head. Suspended and swaying back and forth from a very long rope through the resplendent cathedral over hundreds of pious onlookers, its wafting smoke and scent seemed to cleanse and coat us with a mystical sense of comfort and reassurance.
It was also my 68th birthday that day. So after the mass, we found a cozy outdoor café. With wine glasses clinking, we heartily celebrated our successful journey AND my birthday. A moment I’ll always remember. We did it! I did it! It was a wonderful feeling as we jubilantly turned ourselves into a lively Spanish fiesta.
I enthusiastically encourage others who use a wheelchair to consider taking the Camino de Santiago. I was so thankful that my therapist had suggested I take a FreeWheel for my chair. (See photo below.) It’s an attachment that enables your wheelchair casters to be lifted off the ground, turning your chair into a three-wheeler, so you simply roll over any obstacle: curbs, dirt trails, grass, gravel, snow, and sand. I couldn’t have gotten along without it. (To learn more go to https://www.gofreewheel.com/)
The FreeWheel attachment on the wheelchair’s front enabled easier passage.
When you go, strong friends, a FreeWheel, patience and perseverance are a must. Also remember to pack rain gear, a wheelchair repair kit, and layered clothing. If I can do it at my age, with arthritis and brittle bones, you can too.
For more information contact me at speters@msu.edu.
| Susan Peters, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor Emerita at Michigan State University, College of Education. As a Fulbright Scholar and educational consultant for Ministries of Education, the World Bank, and UNESCO, her work focuses on inclusive education policy and practice for people with disabilities in cross-cultural and international perspectives. |
In 2011 Martin Sheen starred in a movie titled THE WAY about one man’s journey to the cathedral. THE WAY is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an irascible American doctor who comes to France to deal with the tragic loss of his son (played by Emilio Estevez). Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage “The Way of St. James” to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn’t plan on is the profound impact this trip will have on him. Through unexpected and oftentimes amusing experiences along THE WAY, Tom discovers the difference between “the life we live and the life we choose.” It is well worth watching.
Check it out here:
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The above story by Susan Peters, Ph.D. was first published in the Spring/Summer 2016 newsletter, SCI Access. Distributed annually by the University of Michigan (U-M) Spinal Cord Injury Model System within the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, SCI Access is sent to 1200 readers in Michigan and across the country. For more information about this program that focuses on people who are living with a spinal cord injury, see their U-M website: http://pmr.med.umich.edu/SCIMS
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Thanks for Reading!
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In mid-September, 45 polio survivors and friends converged upon the tiny town of Big Bay, Michigan to immerse themselves in five days of restorative rest and activity. There is such a wonderful feeling of love, care and complete acceptance at the retreat. People instinctively understand each other and share compassionate support all week long. Smiles are on every face in the pictures because we are so happy together. There have been ten such retreats since the program started at the Bay Cliff Health Camp in 2006 and, boy, did we ever have fun this year!
Click on the photo above to see the first annual post-polio scooter race. Average age of racers: 72 years young. (Grrr! After an explosive start, I came in second. I’m already working on a hot new strategy for next year!)
Bay Cliff is located right on the shores of beautiful Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It’s a perfect
getaway spot for our holistic wellness program. The sun rises every morning directly in front of the lodge’s big screened-in porch. Rows of old fashioned rocking chairs invite us to settle in with our freshly brewed cup of coffee in hand to welcome the bright new day. The wind softly rustles through the tall surrounding hardwoods that are just starting to glimmer yellow and orange in the early daylight. The lake begins to sparkle as we inhale deeply, inspired by the crisp fresh air and the stunning sight before us… Cameras start clicking. Then the breakfast bell clangs through the camp grounds, heralding all to join in friendly fellowship for a family style breakfast. It’s 8:00 AM. The day has begun.
From Monday evening through Friday evening, the days were filled with a myriad of educational and recreational activities customized especially for polio survivors. We discussed how body, mind and spirit can all work together to create good health.
Fred Maynard, M.D. (top center) and our four orthotists. (left to right) Alicia foster, Ken McMaster, Michelle Carlson, and Joe Baczkowski teamed up to provide customized one-on-one bracing advice to participants at the “Bracing and Mobility” session.
BODY: We learned more about the physical aspects of having had polio–specifically the late effects of polio; what’s new from physicians, researchers and therapists. Throughout the week there was a variety of sessions on relevant topics such as, “post-polio pain,” “aging and general health,” “what’s best for you in bracing,” “food as medicine,” “acupuncture,” and “the benefits of massage.” Speaking of massage, everyone received a free one during the course of the week. Each morning we participated in exercise opportunities such as swimming, yoga, Tai Chi or cardiovascular workouts. Lots to do. One lady, new to the retreat, stated that her primary goal for attending was to learn about “how to keep moving.” She sure was moving every time I saw her!
MIND: This year we watched and discussed an excellent DVD on the mind-body connection and how scientific studies are proving the critical impact that the mind has on healing the body’s variety of illnesses. I highly recommend that you get a copy and watch it. It’s not only helpful; it’s also fascinating. Because it’s about 85 minutes long, this would make a great two-part support group program with discussion. For more information on this DVD, click on the following link: The Connection: Mind Your Body.
SPIRIT: The presentation on spirituality this year was titled, “Spirituality for Wellness: Completing the Healthy Trinity of Wholeness.” After focusing on the wonderful power and value of inspiration in our lives, we got into small groups and discussed the following questions:
The group came up with a long list of spiritual strategies and insights that have helped them get through discouraging times.
Beyond the educational content of the program, there were many recreational activities to join in on every day. These included accessible nature hikes, lighthouse tours, an ice cream social, coloring in coloring books for adults, table games, ceramics class, fishing, movies, and singing around the campfire–complete with s’mores (the American and Canadian campfire treat: a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker).
Finally, on Saturday morning, as we were preparing to head home, our hosts made sure everyone got a homemade pasty for the road. Pasties are a special U.P. delight originally made popular by the Cornish and Finnish miners in the old days. They are made by placing an uncooked filling, typically meat and vegetables, on one half of a flat shortcrust pastry circle, folding the pastry in half to wrap the filling in a semicircle and crimping the curved edge to form a seal before baking. U.P. insiders told us that the best pasties in the entire area come from Lehto’s Pasties in St. Ignace. They use the freshest meat and have been in business for 68 years. Pasties are great for road trips. They are a tasty treat that can be a whole meal in themselves. No silverware needed!
As we left Bay Cliff, the joyful spirit of the retreat continued to linger long after. In fact, I tapped into
that joy as I wrote this message for you (smile) …
Thanks for reading,
Sunny
P.S. Post-polio wellness retreats are a wonderful option for polio survivors who are growing older and seeking strategies to stay healthy and feel good. Since the first retreat at Bay Cliff in 2006, similar retreats have sprung up at Georgia Warm Springs, across Australia, New Zealand, and most recently in Colorado. Perhaps your group would consider organizing a retreat in your area? You’d need to start with an accessible retreat location and a group of skilled organizers. It can be done and is very rewarding.
P.P.S.S. One major and recurring message from our retreat was how important it is to control the stress in our complicated lives. Having a disability can be more than challenging at times. And too much stress can ruin good health! Here’s a nicely-written book that might help. Lately I have enjoyed reading the daily meditations in …
P.P.P.S.S.S. Personal weight loss update: my doctor told me to lose 10 pounds by Halloween. To date, I have taken off 11.5 pounds, which isn’t too bad I guess, since I was away from my routine at the exercise gym and healthy WeightWatcher’s eating plan for five weeks. Vacations. Now I’m back and staying on track better. Whew!
Gotta keep going!
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The following piece was sent to us by the late Ernie Anderegg from Tuscon, Arizona. He wanted it to be published in the post-polio anthology back in the late 1980s. This poem is a tough one to read because it so concretely describes the anguish and adversity that polio brought to so many newly-paralyzed children and their heartbroken families. The experience was absolutely devastating on so many levels and can bring back mournful images and memories that are still buried deep within.
But wait! Out of the desolation, Ernie expresses his pride in being a polio survivor and reminds us that the powerful spirit of love and our enthusiasm for living life prevails …
Who are these polio Survivors?
Infants, only days or weeks into this precious life;
Lifeless and aching in paralytic strife.
Toddlers, removed from their bonding with kin;
to a world of strangers and loneliness therein.
School-age tots, healthy, vital and well;
with an untimely sentencing to a strange form of Hell.
Young adults, men and women alike;
not quite able to evade this phantom’s strike.
With febrile delusion and limbs that would fail;
Like rag dolls–languid, flaccid and frail.
Parents of whom were often alerted,
“Go home to your family, death cannot be averted.”
But we heard not the dirge, we made no departure;
and we all cheated death to pursue life’s adventure. 
Now challenged by life to rebuild and maintain;
the Polio Survivor will gain and regain.
With lost weeks and years in sterile abandonment,
maturing, enduring this foreign environment.
Spanning the spectrum from newborn past twenty;
Their good lives disrupted–tears shed aplenty.
With racking pain in uphill progression,
who’d ever believe we would relive regression?
But through this all we bore the test;
and still proclaim we are the best.
And drawing from our days on trial,
When we all pushed the extra mile.
The common thread running through our lives
was…
About the Author
Polio survivor, Ernest J. Anderegg, Jr., age 68, “ended his earthly journey at home on March 29, 2015. Born on December 1, 1946 in Jersey City, NJ to parents Ernest and Lillian Anderegg and survived by first wife, Beverly Anderegg; two children, Darrin and Renee; three grandchildren and two brothers, Warren and Gregory Anderegg. As a polio survivor he became a strong advocate for the disabled community and instrumental in establishing the polio EPIC group. His presence will be missed and treasured by family and many beloved friends. He was admired for his wit, appreciation of the value and comfort of friendship, and particularly for his strength and equanimity in the face of chronic pain. He was a profound poet and writer who earned the title of “Distinguished Poet” on Poetry.com.
Of his life he wrote, ” (I am a) polio survivor of the 40’s epidemic (spino-bulbar) who has spent a lifetime ‘trying to pass for normal’ (a term used by survivors). In my old age there has been a number of concessions, physical and psychological, that directed me to writing to express and vent. Watching the natural course of things in an analytical way, I am able to draw from life experience to leave my thoughts, strengths, personal spirituality for family & friends to cipher after the fact.”
Ernie was a founding member of the flourishing post-polio support group, Polio Epic, in Tuscon, Arizona. Current group president, Micki Minner, enthusiastically shared with me that Polio Epic is a dynamic, ever-enlarging support group with strong programs and powerful outreach. It attracts folks from all over the state to their regular meetings. To learn more, check out their website here… 
The Search for Anthology Authors Continues…
Almost 30 years ago (1987), friends, Barbara Pike, Charlene Bozarth, and I sent out a nationwide request to polio survivors who might want to have their writings published in an anthology. Manuscripts came in, but life took over, and we were never able to create and publish the collection, as we had hoped. When I lost track of Barbara in Ohio, and Charlene, who left Michigan for New Mexico, I protectively stored the writings for resurrection at a later date.
Well, this year is that later date! I recently rediscovered them in my files, dusted them off, and now plan to take the liberty of publishing them by way of this blog. Some are essays. Some are poems. They are heartfelt, intimate and describe living with polio in earlier times. We can still resonate with their feelings and messages.
Here is a list of the missing anthology authors whom I would like to contact for permission to publish their work, now, so many years later. Since the publishing of chapter one, we have found three more authors, but have many yet to find.
If you are one, or know of one, please contact me at sunnyrollerblog@gmail.com.
Thank you!
Sunny
Floy Schoenfelder
Lee Whipple
William Wild
Agnes Fennewald
Charlotte Snitzer
Ann Bradley
Toni Keffeler
Sofia Baltodano
Bruce Berman
Roberta Dillion Williams
Becky Lee Vance
Jean Hamm
Norene Senkbeil
Ann Goodhall
Ginger Sage
Shirley Hile Powell
Elizabeth Reeves
Doris Vanden Boogard
Donna L. Mattinson
Marie Galda
Alan M. Oberdick
Emma Blosser Hartzler
R. N. Hackney
Robert C. Huse
Where can you be?
P.S. Quick report on my weight loss program: since May 13th I have lost 4.5 pounds. Onward and upward!
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help me a little too, providing a small commission. There would be absolutely no difference for you, but there would be a small boost for me. We would both end up winners that day! Thanks for considering this win-win option.
The links below and throughout this blog are affiliate links. This means, at no additional cost to you, I may get a small commission if you stay on the link and make a purchase anywhere on that website. Thanks for your support in this way!
Bubbles fly on breeze 
Spring’s chilly warmth heats my soul
Confinement’s blown off!
That was a Haiku poem. Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. Haiku poems are very simple. They consist of 3 lines. The first and last lines of a Haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. The lines rarely rhyme.
Writing a post-polio Haiku poem might be fun to try as an activity in your support group.
Here’s the formula:
Here’s another semi-spontaneous example:
On Old Friends Making Life Work
Crispy trees green, grey
Witness our friendship’s summer
Wheels keep us moving.
What do you think? Can you Haiku? Could you write a post-polio Haiku? Might be fun to try! Just follow the formula.
Hi Fran Henke, want to give it a go? Anyone else feeling inspired?
Oh, let’s just have fun!
Woohoo!
It’s springtime in the Northern Hemisphere!
“Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child.” ~Joan Almon
When I first got a three-wheel electric scooter (an Amigo) for long distances 28 years ago, it made me really nervous. I was used to walking. What would people think? Then I called several friends and asked them how having a friend on a scooter would be for them. They said stuff like, “Hey, we can go more places; we can move faster: and you’re still sexy!” Then we started to test it out and go places. When we saw a buddy’s mom at the art museum, I was self-conscious. She was simply happy to see me. When we went Christmas shopping at the mall, I realized that I could have made big bucks selling rides on my scooter to enthralled kids whose eyes suddenly lit up, faces beamed, and fingers pointed when I zoomed by! Some children even delightedly ran after me with their embarrassed parents charging behind, swept into the vacuum of their kid’s sudden crazy surge of energy! (Oh, if I had only worn a Santa hat!)
I have learned that an electric scooter has a social image akin to that of a golf cart. It’s positive and related to having fun. It’s part of living with polio. People don’t feel sad when they see a scooter. They feel curious and playful. They want it to go fast. They smile at me more quickly. Now when I go out, I depend on my scooter full time. Actually, it would make me more nervous NOT to have one, because I not only critically need it to fully function, I go everywhere in it. It’s an essential part of my freedom as a disabled, but quite healthy person. (Actually it keeps me very healthy, but that’s another post!)
As my perspective has changed over the years, one thought that I now have about scooter-benefits is that having a scooter can help bring back the joys of childhood. Even more important– those joys can be shared with the special kids in our lives. It’s easy to play on a scooter. Kids understand and can immediately relate to scooters. And if, by chance or by design, you can have one ready for each of you –often Ebay sells used ones at very low prices– that’s even better. As Ward Cleaver said years ago,”You’re never too old to do goofy stuff!”
“Kids love watching adults act like children. It’s that spirit they can relate to.” –James Roday
I have been lucky enough to have two great young people in my life during the last decade. They are the children of an old friend. We have been so many places together with me on a scooter. We “walk ‘n roll” side by side. We’ve spent summer days romping at Cedar Point Amusement Park, gazing at downtown Ann Arbor’s street art, sightseeing on the shores of Lake Michigan, and being water-sprayed at the base of Niagara Falls. Back at my house, we’ve pulled out my old spare scooter and two of us on scooters have raced around the condo development, chased each other a quarter of a mile up to the corner for ice cream, or lightheartedly blown soap bubbles at each other then whooshed the elusive orbs high into the March winds. We frolic! And that is a wonderful way for our hearts and spirits to sparkle and soar.
Kids are so good for adults. They help us stay young. And in turn, we are good for them. Youngsters these days are “absolutely starved for positive adult contact.” Remember how that felt? Didn’t you just adore the adults in your life who were positive and who sincerely wanted to be with you, play with you and listen to you? Electric scooters can serve as one great tool for connecting with and loving the kids in our lives. And as we break with our mundane adult routines, stop, shift gears, then enter into our favorite kids’ worlds, something happens to us. We have the opportunity to renew and be permeated by the power of our own joy, creativity, and enthusiasm.
My favorite scooter company
Disability language can be like an ever-changing wilderness of words. It keeps evolving and if we don’t keep up, we can get bewildered, lost, behind and off-track.
How do we talk about our d”isability? What do we silently say to ourselves, about ourselves?
Are we “polio victims,” “polios,” people living with polio,” “polio survivors,” or “people who had polio?”
Are we “wheelchair users” or “wheelchair-bound?” Strong or weak?
How do we describe ourselves? Are we each a “handicapper” or a “person who has a disability?” Aren’t we first and foremost a human being with a mind, body and spirit; rather than a beggar with a “cap in hand” (hence the word, handicapper)?
In that light, should the signs read “handicapped parking” or perhaps be changed to “accessible parking?”
Consider this…changing our hearts can change our words and changing our words can change our hearts.
Hmmm…What words do our hearts tell us to articulate to the wide-eyed world around us? To the children in our lives? The shopkeepers? The gas station attendant? The cable guy? The health care professionals? The n ews reporters? What are we teaching? They will take our lead.
When we consider and choose what to say to others, the right words will almost always emerge if we focus on our:
Words! Our diction sure makes a difference. We have the power to help shape our own, and our culture’s, worldview–just by becoming keenly aware of the words we use in daily conversation. Further, when we couple our word choice with an appropriate tone of voice, we magnify our meanings and messages to each other. So, of course, it’s not just what we say, it’s how we say it that can be so powerful.
“They can be like the sun, words.
We know that speaking and hearing them… writing and reading them… the right words can be such a nourishing source of light and life to all of us who continue to trek forward through what often may feel like an unpredictable wilderness of the latest, most socially-acceptable terminology regarding disability.
In spite of the constant changes, I want to continue to be a positive influence on this earth. I’m ready to keep up with what’s new, what’s most relevant and what’s of greatest help. You?
Have you seen the updated list of positive and objective language that is being used to describe all things disability?
Read the latest here: Your Words, Our Image 8th Ed.
Agree? Disagree? Neutral? Any thoughts on this topic?
Rooms with a view!
Click on this logo to see more.
Oh my goodness! I want to share with you a great place to stay if you ever get to Estes Park, Colorado. It’s the Appenzell Inn.
I have vacationed there twice now and I love it! Was just there last month. Reminiscent of a Swiss alpine lodge, the Appenzell is conveniently located right on the paved Riverwalk in Estes Park. The Riverwalk is a meandering sidewalk (at least five miles long) that, on a scooter, walking, or using a manual wheelchair leads you right into town, to the Visitors’ Center, or around Lake Estes depending which direction you want to go. The hotel has a year-’round indoor heated pool with a chairlift. In the summertime, visitors are delighted by a host of colorful flowers at every turn and are greeted by surprise brooks, ponds and waterfalls nestled into the landscaped grounds.
Those who dine on the restaurant deck enjoy the sounds of this lovely water feature.
At the Appenzell there are several wheelchair-accessible rooms, but my favorite is the Patio Room on the ground level. It has easy access from close parking spots and a cute patio right outside the room’s entrance door. There is also a nicely ramped hotel dinner-only restaurant next door and up a story that is open in the summer and provides room service.
Lunch and chit chat on the patio right outside the room.
When you enter the Patio Room you’ll see that there is a small kitchenette, a comfortable king size bed at the perfect height for a wheelchair-user and an accessible bathroom. You can ask the hotel for a bath bench right now, but they plan to renovate soon adding a roll-in shower and an ADA-height toilet. I love the three windows that allow dappled mountain sunlight and fresh air to permeate the room. If you want to be cozy both at night and early in the cool mornings, the centrally located gas fireplace turns on with a timer switch. As it crackles and warms, sipping on a hot cup of room-brewed coffee or tea is a heavenly touch. The built-in dining table and desk are the right height, easy to access. If you move some furniture around a little, there is lots of floor space for wheeling. Two difficult things: the microwave and kitchen sink are high and tough to use, but the dishwasher and fridge are easy to reach. Prices for this room are seasonal and range from $110.00-$180.00 per night.
There is a wheelchair-accessible campsite at Sprague Lake near Estes Park.
Estes Park, Colorado is a gorgeous place to visit. About 8,000 feet up, it is at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. There are many paved hiking spots and even an accessible campsite or two in the area–great for anyone with a post-polio disability.
We saw this guy right outside our room at the Appenzell Inn.
There are many kinds of wildlife around–elk, moose, big-horned sheep and bears. Sometimes they like to amble into town for a swim on a hot day in the river or for a bite to eat from the trash bins behind restaurants.
When I visited Estes Park I rented a fairly large scooter that could steady me on the slanted sidewalks. Travel scooters are tippy on mountain terrain. All I had to do was call Mobility and More in Loveland, CO. They delivered and picked up the scooter and were very cordial. Click here for more information.
If you want to have fun in the stunning Rocky Mountains, go to Estes Park and stay at the Appenzell Inn and enjoy the wonderful walks into town and around the mountain lakes…
Right behind Starbuck’s along the Riverwalk…
As you’re rolling into town…
“Wheel-friends” at Sprague Lake!
August 17-20, 2014–Rocky Mountain Village–Empire, Colorado
Fifty-three of us attended the Colorado Post-Polio Wellness Retreat from August 17-20, 2014 at Rocky Mountain Village in Empire, Colorado. This experiential holistic wellness program for people living with polio featured guest speakers and planned activities revolving around three major themes: the mind, the body and the spirit. We slept in the Easter Seals camp’s rustic cabins, shared communal bathrooms, ate meals together in the large dining hall and joyfully participated in program sessions that ranged from aerobic exercise to zip lining. Yes…zip lining! We went on bird and wildflower hikes, and a recreational train ride through the mountains. We enjoyed a reflexology treatment, learned about post-polio syndrome, and heard about mindful meditation. Then we tie-dyed t-shirts. And that’s just a sampling of the rich program agenda. The entire retreat cost was $300.00 plus transportation. 
It wasn’t the stunning mountain vistas 9,000 feet up, or the warm 90-degree swimming pool sparkling with joyful sunlight. It wasn’t the cheery summer wildflowers popping up beside the woodland paths or the rushing waterfalls that met us as we wandered in and out of the nearby forests.
Nope. It was the people. And it was the polio. Somehow we had found each other and became freshly entwined. We, with our partially paralyzed post-polio bodies, made friends quickly, as if we had known each other since childhood…
Read my entire article, “The Colorado Post-Polio Wellness Retreat: Grasping Sweet Thorns in the Rockies,” later on this blog!
P.S. If you have never been to a post-polio wellness retreat, you may want to consider signing up! They are filled with fresh air, fellowship and lots of educational and recreational activities. The next post-polio wellness retreats will be held on the shores of Lake Superior in Big Bay, Michigan in September 2015 and then high in the mountains in Empire, Colorado in August 2016. Connect to Post-Polio Health International’s website for updates: http://post-polio.org/
Hi,
Welcome! Do come in. Have a seat. I know that we can learn great things from each other. Do you prefer coffee or tea? Let’s chat. So cozy. So warmhearted. So important. We will talk openly and listen deeply. Again, welcome!
May I introduce myself? I am a woman who has been living with polio for 63 years now–since 1952. Over the decades so many polio survivors, helping professionals, and all kinds of great people have meandered in and out of my life. Some have stayed; some just stopped by, but they, like you, have had important roles to play and insights to share.
When I was 33 I got the late effects of polio and ended up at the University of Michigan Post-Polio Clinic. There I met my doctor, Frederick Maynard, MD, whom I later teamed up with to start the Post-Polio Research and Training Program. Since that time in the mid-1980s, I have traveled across the country and around the world teaching and learning about polio. We saw children who had polio in India crawling on the streets, kids in the state of Georgia who got polio from the vaccine, adults in Europe searching for physicians who could effectively treat them and polio survivors in New Zealand joining support groups to help each other out. And that’s just for starters…
What I have learned over the years is that we have suffered, struggled and been disabled by polio. But that uninvited turmoil has, and still is, pressing us to strengthen ourselves in new ways–mind, body and spirit. Looking back, we know it’s true–a growing number of us have consciously turned living well with polio into, not just a goal, but a creative art form. We have not only been the adroit composers of our unique personal adaptations, attitudes, and alliances, we have become the masterpieces themselves. And we flourish. Here’s to feeling great!
This blog is dedicated to twinkling enthusiasm when we open our eyes every morning. It is also dedicated to feeling the permeating comfort of thankfulness for the day’s blessings as we silently drift into sleep every night. Everything in between, we gotta work on. Cheers to us! We’re in this together!
And now, won’t you introduce yourself? Where are you? What brought you to this blog? What is an important topic of conversation for you?
