Marathon Wheeler

The importance of perseverance is a strong theme of the book. Its significance is reflected in the choice of title, “"Marathon Wheeler". Having a chronic disability requires that like many others, I live with challenge for the long haul. The experience is not a quick sprint around the block, but I, along with many, have to dig deep into the God-given inner resources to live whatever years are granted to me with gutsy purpose. This book is not written to boast that I have made it in the journey to live my life in a God-honouring way. I have a physical disability, cerebral palsy, in the moderate to severe range. Some have said to me, "“Isn’t it great that you have accepted your disability and you have overcome your difficulties?” I prefer to see it as an on-going pilgrimage. Even in my sixties, I get grumpy. I am still trying to make sense of physical challenge, occasionally rebelling against difficulties. I am in the process of overcoming and I still struggle...hopefully with a touch of style. Until I breathe my last breath, my quest to live life faithfully with the circumstances that are mine, will continue. So this is shared with you in the spirit of “one beggar telling another beggar where to find food”.

While this book is written to encourage people with disabilities and their families, I hope that other fellow travellers with different life experiences will find hope in it too. It is penned from a Christian perspective. I trust that this particular gentle lens through which I look at the world will be life-giving for other seekers also. Churches seeking to extend their mission with mobility-challenged people may find it useful too. It is partly a memoir, partly a sharing of Christian faith and partly a practical tool kit for people with physical disability and their enablers on how to survive a different journey.