Yesterday I was a guest on a radio talk show. The radio station is located in Monterey. The interview was to be about an hour. Since it was a morning interview and I was concerned I would oversleep I decided to use my house phone just to make sure there would be no problems with the reception.
The radio station called me at 10:30 am and the interview began. The host Barbara asked really great questions and I was calm and comfortable being myself when all of a sudden my phone started to beep that the battery was low. I still had a 40 minute interview to do and my phone is about to die. I started to panic and kept trying to sit up in my bed so I could transfer in to my chair and look for another phone to use. My legs started to spasm every time I tried to sit up and it kept throwing me back down. All at the same time that I am trying to answer a question. After about 5 attempts I finally sat up, transferred into my chair and the hunt was on for another phone.
I went into the office and I couldn't find a phone. I raced into the bedrooms of my brother and mom but both of their phones were in a part of the room I physically couldn't get to. I rushed back into the office knowing there was a phone in there and I had to find it. Mind you that I am pushing my wheelchair through the house with one hand and holding the phone in the other. I am banging into every wall, every door way and knocking stuff over. I am starting to sweat and most likely wasn't making any sense in my answers. I scanned the office very carefully once again and saw the phone behind some hanging file folders on the desk. I rushed over. I reach for the phone on the desk but it was too far for my reach. I reached again and then I heard the click. I lost the call!!! I screamed "NOOOOOOO!!!" In desperation I launched my entire body for the phone again and all in one motion I hit the phone with my fingers and then I fell to the floor.
Falling on the ground would have been a low point for me but when I heard the phone fall behind the desk I knew that the floor is exactly where I needed to be. The phone started ringing and now the race was on again to reach the phone in time before the answering machine picked up. It truly was a race against time. I am crawling under the desk at the same time my legs are tangled in my wheelchair which made it difficult to move. I could have had a broken leg for all I know but my adrenaline was pumping and I was determined to get that phone. I was able to grab it on the last ring. I answered with a shortness of breath. The radio producer asked if I was o.k. and all I could do was laugh. He then said they were putting me back on the air.
I now had to finish this interview while sitting on the hard tiled floor. Something that my butt didn't like. My legs started to spasm again and throwing me all over the place. I did my best to keep it under control and not make it obvious in the interview that I was having difficulty. I made it through the interview. To my own opinion, just barely!!!