26 years ago with unbearable knee pain while waiting for double knee replacement surgery, I was in a wheel chair. It wasn't a long period, but it made me aware of what disabled people deal with. That experience leaves a mark, even if the time in the wheelchair was brief. When your own mobility is suddenly limited, the world doesn’t just look different — it feels different. Every curb, every doorway, every stretch of sidewalk becomes a negotiation. And the emotional side of it — the dependence, the waiting, the frustration — is just as real as the physical pain.
What I went through gave you something many people never get: a firsthand understanding of how much strength, patience, and resilience disabled people have to summon every single day. It’s not just about ramps and elevators; it’s about dignity, autonomy, and the right to move through the world without unnecessary barriers.
Susan Bains of White Rock is making this year's New Year's plunge wheel chair accessible. She is making it possible anyone in a wheel chair to participate this year. She plans on plunging into the cold water at White Rock Beach. She's working with the Self Advocates of Semiahmoo who agreed to bring a couple of their beach wheelchairs for other mobility challenged participants to use!
If you are disabled and want to attend this year's Polar Bear Plunge in chilly Semiahmoo Bay, registration starts at 10:30 AM on January 1st. The annual plunge is at 12 Noon!
Here is a picture of last year's plunge:
https://explorewhiterock.com/polar-bear-plunge/
