Happy Halloween folks! I’m sitting in a dark house watching football and feeling not at all guilty about not giving out candy this year.
MS can be quite the trickster. As folks with MS know, you need to recognize your limitations and carefully choose how you’re going to expend your energy. For me, it’s a huge challenge to get from the family room to the front door in a reasonable amount of time. If my knee spasticity kicks in, it’s very hard for me to stand up. If we had a lot of children stop by, I’d try to figure out a way to make it worth. Since we get 5 in a good year, it’s just not worth it. I would use a lot of energy for not that much reward. So go ahead and say booooo to me instead of boo!, but it’s the right decision for me. It’s one of those times when I just can’t do the “normal” thing.
But I’ve been enjoying some of the real treats I’ve seen on the Internet. I want to give a huge shout-out to the parents who go above and beyond to make Halloween awesome for their children. Using a walker or a wheelchair can make anyone feel like they are sticking out, and I think it would be even tougher for kids. But I found two examples online where the kids are going to stick out not because of their mobility aids, but because of the wonderful ways their parents incorporate the aids into their costumes.
Shout-out #1 is to the Bailey family in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their son Sebastian is dressed up like Han Solo, and his walker is part of a terrific Millennium Falcon. He’s got cerebral palsy and doesn’t speak, so they’ve even rigged up his speech button to say either “trick or treat” or one of Han Solo’s favorite sayings. The picture online is absolutely terrific.
Shout-out #2 is to Ryan Scott Miller and family, who posted this awesome video. His son Jeremy has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. This year, Jeremy will be flying in his Snowspeeder that even has working guns. It is SO cool.
In both cases, these amazing costumes are the most recent in a line of wonderful costumes including Superman’s phone booth, a TIE fighter, the Batmobile, and a pirate ship.
Now, I’m the mom who just sent my children out AGAIN in store-bought costumes, so my hat is off to any parent who takes the time to make Halloween costumes. But these families have figured out a way to make the boys stand out for the best reasons of all – so the boys can have an awesome time.
