Quote:
Originally Posted by poncho-mike
I started going to Charlotte Autofair in 1978 as a spectator, then later as a vendor. I loved walking the fields looking for parts.
Around 1986, I was in a car accident and had some problems with pain in my right hip. A doctor diagnosed me as as having a defective hip joint that was aggravated by the accident. The ball on the femur was elliptical shaped and one leg was an inch shorter than the other. I was told I would need hip replacement by the time I was 50. I continued to walk the show and used anti-inflammatories kept the pain down. As I started walking less I gained weight. By age 50 or so, I had to make a decision if I wanted to continue to walk the show, either have hip replacement surgery or get a scooter. I felt too embarassed to ride a scooter while I still looked healthy, so I stopped walking the show and began selling parts. I can't say I made the right decision, since I allowed vanity to make my decision for me. I felt people would judge me the way some of you are judging people on scooters
I would be careful about making observations regarding people who are riding the scooters. Not all disabilities are visible to the casual observer. I know there are probably a lot of people that abuse these, but many people that look healthy have issues that are not readily apparent.
I finally had my right hip replaced a couple of months ago, and plan to spend a little time walking the swap meet this September.
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Sorry to hear about your accident but like handicapped parking privileges, you are not going to convince me that it is not abused.