When Mr. Right Just Happens to be in a wheelchair

Deacon's Bench ^ | September 5, 2009 | DEACON GREG KANDRA

[pray4liberty]

Sometimes you just got to accept that life dealt you a low blow and not expect everyone else to bend over backward for you.

You might not feel that way if it was you, or someone you loved, in that wheelchair! I have a friend who was severely injured in a car accident. She didn't die, but the accident ruined her life and her health. It could happen to any of us.

[airborne]

So there may still be hope for me yet?

Well, I’m 48, and not a rocket scientist either.

And after my divorce, I’m not sure I want to put myself through that again...

[cammie]

As someone who spent the most interminable month of my life on eHarmony, which I found to be a freak-filled zone, I congratulate her on finding the needle in the really scary haystack.

[cmj328]

If the woman wanted kids...then such a disability would darn well matter.

Canon 1084 would invalidate the marriage if it was certain that either party had "antecedent and perpetual impotence to have sexual intercourse". This is not the same as sterility, which is not an impediment unless one or the other party was deceptive about it.

[fr_freak]

You might not feel that way if it was you, or someone you loved, in that wheelchair!

You're wrong about that. Regardless of what happened to me, I would not expect the world to bend over backward to accommodate me. I would adapt myself. Likewise, if it happened to someone I loved, I would do everything I could to help that person, but I still wouldn't expect the rest of the world to stop just for me and mine. What I disagree with is the attitude that some people have which says that because something bad happened to them, the world owes them everything. Wrong. Even if you get paralyzed in a horrible, tragic accident, the world still doesn't owe you anything. Maybe your loved ones do, but the world doesn't.

[pray4liberty]

Thanks for clarifying.

I don't see anything in this article that gives the impression that this particular young man thinks the world owes him a living, though. He seems to be working pretty good as a rocket scientist.

[fr_freak]

I don't see anything in this article that gives the impression that this particular young man thinks the world owes him a living, though. He seems to be working pretty good as a rocket scientist.

No, he doesn't seem to think the world owes him a living - he's doing just fine on his own. However, my original point was that he seems to think that it is wrong for women to take his paralysis into consideration when thinking of dating him. He said "It's one of those things that shouldn't matter, but does". My whole point was that he has no business stating that it shouldn't matter. It does matter, it should matter, and it will matter.

[amom]

Yah there’s hope...

Congratulations to the new couple and wishes for many wonderful years to come.

[Sir_Ed]

I know a guy who was shot in the back by a Japanese sniper in the South Pacific during WWII.

He was paralyzed from the chest down and spent his life in a wheelchair.

He married and they had a 50-year long marriage until he passed away. They loved each other dearly and he and his wife for many, many decades were among the strongest pro-life activists I have ever known.

So yeah, I do believe there’s a chance for these two to have a long, successful and happy marriage.

Ed