Our First Date: Don't Fall Me Down

Bruce and I had an educational first date. I needed to visit the Social Security Office to get a new card. As a recipient of Social Security disability benefits, Bruce was a frequent visitor to the Social Security office. He excitedly had offered to show me where the office was. We each traveled to the nearby intersection on our usual bus, arriving at the same time, he from the north and I from the south. Then the real adventure began.

Maintaining balance requires the normal functioning of many parts of the brain which can be affected by stroke A person's confidence in performing activities without falling could be as important as the real balance ability in situations of daily living.

I had never walked with Bruce before this date. With or without the rain of that morning, this was to be a learning experience for me. I began to step up onto the median to enter a parking lot and cut across to the sidewalk we needed. He stopped behind me.

"I can't do that. It will fall me down," Bruce said as he turned to walk towards the driveway.

To maintain our balance we need a normal inner ear, the nerves traveling from the ear to the brain, and a normal control center, which is mainly situated in the part of the brain called the cerebellum, situated at the base of the brain. Many other parts of the brain however, are also needed to enable us to stand steadily on two feet. The cerebellum is sometimes affected by stroke.

I have to admit that I had no idea why Bruce could not walk across the median. I had seen him climb the stairs into the bus every time he boarded. I had witnessed him step down with the support of the handrails but he could step down. It wasn't until I began to pay attention that I discovered how he almost completely supported himself with handrails when he stepped up or down. We went around the median and traveled through the empty parking lot. We would not both fit, side by side, down the sidewalk.