These past six months have been challenging. Now that I have
finally had a chance to sit down and look at the numbers, I see that Lyle and I
have walked in 82 different locations, not the 80 as I originally recorded. We
have walked with many, many different people and there was a common denominator
for us all. All of us wanted to promote white cane awareness. Some, and I know
that you will recognize yourself in this statement, were especially passionate
in their support and commitment. The walks and conversations I shared with the
people I met gave me encouragement and hope. I feel truly blessed.
I do remember everyone who joined me on each walk. I remember
the ninety-nine year old woman who joined me in Hanna,
Alberta and the four year old boy and his
family who joined me in Kingston, Ontario.
Like many of life’s curve balls, vision loss is no discriminator of age. Some
people who joined the walks used white canes, some were assisted by guide dogs,
some were helped by human guides and yet others were the helpers. I am
especially grateful to the staff in the cnib offices where I was made to feel
so very welcome, and yes, I am sure that you will recognize yourselves. I am grateful
that there are almost too many of you to mention here. Keep up the amazing work
you do!
Lyle and I would also like to thank the many people who
showed us personal kindness. Thank you for the meals we enjoyed, the coffee and
refreshments, the small gifts and remembrances. I think that these personal
touches are the ones that made our journey so very memorable.
I would be remiss if I didn’t express my appreciation to the
media outlets that followed the White Cane Connections journey. Over the course
of the past six months I have been given the opportunity to speak on radio, on
television, and with numerous newspaper reporters. It has been through the
media that the White Cane Connections has been able to advocate for white cane
awareness and also to highlight accessibility issues.
On this note, I must mention the politicians who took time
to meet with me and to walk with me and others in their communities. You and I have
given our elected representatives the responsibility to make change, but it is
our responsibility to alert them to those changes that need to be made in order
to make our communities safe and accessible for everyone.
When I first chose the name for the White Cane Connections
project, I didn’t realize just how appropriate it was. Over the weeks and
months of the walks, I have reconnected with old friends and made many new
connections. Some of you have added links in the chain by connecting me with
your own friends and relatives across the country. The time you have taken to
do this certainly smoothed many pathways for me. Thanks also for the links to
several libraries, Lions Clubs and CCB (Canadian council for the Blind) chapters.
Although my original intent was to walk one thousand
kilometers and to write a book about my experiences, I am not sure that I
achieved the first goal and I have doubts about the second. I lost count of how
far Lyle and I walked, but I am now on my third pair of shoes! I have enjoyed
writing these blog entries and although I might not immediately set out to write
another book, I would like to continue the blog on a semi-regular basis. How
does this sound to you? Would you be interested in checking in every couple of
weeks?
That brings me to a final note. I am hesitant to mention names because you
have all made a contribution to this project, but I need to write a special
acknowledgement of the following few. Thanks to Jo who made the green vests which
travelled with me from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Thanks to Bill and the people of Sechelt for giving me such an auspicious
beginning to the journey. Thanks to Andrew for posting each and every entry on
the blog. You are a great son-in-law. Thanks to Dorothy for following so
faithfully. You are a loyal friend. Finally, thanks to Lyle. You are my
constant support. We might not have walked the 1000 kilometers, but I know that
you drove for over 12,000 kilometers and without you the White Cane Connections
journey would have stayed a dream. With you, the dream became a reality.
I am looking for canes Weymouth MA because my sister has a degenerative muscular disease and must redistribute weight onto something. Thanks.
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