Old Man Lee  🦯

Joints creak and don’t stay in place? Eh. Legs don’t always work? Eh. In pain all the time? Eh. Such is life. It ain’t going to go away. So what can be done in society to make things a bit easier?

The other day, I was talking to some guildmates in a game about being able to see an eye doctor soon. One told me not to give up hope that science will bring a cure eventually. Eh. Thankfully said person (who is also low vision) appreciates how I approach things. But still. Eh.

I want a world where people from all backgrounds, young and old, have access to the resources they need to live well now. Promises of a cure are meaningless. We need better care and more support in the community now. And everyone benefits from that.

Think of how COVID-19 would have gone if we valued people with disabilities or chronic conditions. Think of what infrastructure we would have. Remote working plans. Homes to shelter in. Food delivery that doesn’t take months to build or mutual aid networks to fill the gaps.

A functioning vaccination plan. Medication delivery. Testing systems that aren’t super wonky with terrible lines or dependent on going to the hospital. My first test was in the ER. Consistent care in early stages _and in the weeks or months following_.

I imagine that if folks were able to get past their brain breaky moment to actually listen to us, there’s a lot that could be learned from. It’s society that is broken. Not us. Even when our bodies don’t always work right. Even when they are frustrating. Society is broken.

Because here’s the thing. You cannot 100% prevent illness, chronic pain, or disability. People like me will always be born at some point. And at any point in your life, even when making the most informed medical decisions possible, something can change.