The answer is a simple no.

Giving up is living in so much pain you cannot enjoy your life, much less be fully present for it.

Giving up is pushing yourself too far, again and again, until your disease or illness progresses to the point of no return (to mobility or worse).

Giving up is holding yourself to ableist standards that, frankly, don’t care if you are happy or suffering — just so long as you continue pushing yourself to be like ‘normal’ healthy, able-bodied people.

Mobility aids are not bad or lazy or sad — you know what is?  Ableism.

“There seems to be a prevailing notion that the best way to be disabled is to function with as little help as possible, which leaves it to our bodies to make up the difference. It causes us to second-guess ourselves about what we should or shouldn’t be able to do.” — Gabe Moses

“The idea that using a mobility aid is giving up suggests that using a mobility aid is a negative thing. And whilst I don’t love being sick, my mobility aid is not the cause of that, in fact it is one of the few things that helps me be less sick — alongside the many other mobility aids I use or aspire to own, including an electric pepper mill, a kitchen stool etc. Using mobility and assistive aids has dramatically increased the quality of my life .”— Chronically Ill Kat

Here are three ways having a rollator in my home not only allows me to live a fuller, richer life, but a safer one as well:

1. Without my rollator I would be forced to miss meals due to my hands failing & dropping my lovely ceramic bowls and plates onto the ground, thus shattering all over and not only ruining my meal, but forcing me to spend energy I can ill afford to spend sweeping and mopping up the shards of pottery.
2. Without my rollator there would be days I wouldn’t be able to brush my teeth, either because my vertigo is acting up or because my fatigue/weakness is too much to be able to bear standing at the sink long enough to perform a basic hygiene task. With my rollator I’m able to sit while brushing my teeth without free of falling.
3. Without my rollator I’d be forced to cut shopping trips short or not even go in the first place, this would directly impact my health since it would prevent me from shopping often to restock my kitchen with fresh fruits and veggies.

Do those three examples sound like giving up or do they sound like someone who is willing to use the tools they need to use in order to take good care of themselves?

“One of the best things in my life, something that’s allowed me to experience the world fully with a disability, is my wheelchair. …

Just because I sat down doesn’t mean I gave up.

“My wheelchair has given me the option to do things I never could on my walker. I can cruise around campus without worrying about getting knocked over or losing my balance. I can keep up with people and stay beside them rather than lagging behind. I can use my hands without the fear of falling, and I can go places on my own. I don’t need constant supervision. I don’t have to feel exhausted all the time. I can use my energy to go to school, spend time with my friends and work — rather than spending every last ounce of my energy simply trying to be upright. That doesn’t sound confining to me.” — Kathleen Downes

Thank you for reading.

Kat❤