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Wheelchair-Bound Woman Had Never Swam In The Ocean… Until These Men Stepped In.

Mobility issues didn't keep this woman from swimming in the ocean. Left frame shows two men carrying a disabled woman. Right frame shows them in the water at a Hawaii beach.

Mobility issues plague many people. They can be minor, causing a slight limp and requiring a cane, or catastrophic, requiring a motorized wheelchair. People commonly strive to live a fulfilling life when faced with decreasing mobility. Sometimes, that means hopping on a scooter and going to the same restaurant daily. For others, it means getting rolled into the sunshine on a nice day.

Videos by InspireMore

Stock image shows a display of different types of mobility devices including wheelchairs, walkers, and electric scooters.
Image from Wikimedia Commons.

For two gentlemen and a wheelchair-bound woman in her 70s, the day would take a surprising twist. To set the scene, the three were lunch patrons at a hotel pool-side bar. The lady and her caregiver were daily customers. They struck up a conversation, and she was happy for the company. They briefly discussed some of her health issues and that she was working on to increase her mobility.

The woman explained that she was raised in the Midwest, but had no remaining family. When faced with mobility issues, she decided to move to Hawaii and live the remainder of her days in the sunshine near the ocean. Her primary goal was to walk again to get out of the motorized chair and walk into the ocean. Even though the group was about 100 feet from the waves, she had never been in the ocean!

people in the ocean
Image from Flickr.

Our hero asked the lady if there were medical reasons besides her mobility issues keeping her from going into the ocean. After a brief discussion, they determined that nothing was holding her back except being unable to walk. This man, identified on his TikTok channel as Mistah Mean, then asked the woman if she wanted to go into the ocean today.

What was he thinking? She hesitated a bit, being that she had just met this man. Our hero wasn’t being pushy, but he was willing to assist her in fulfilling her dream. Just then, the bartender swooped in. He’s been serving her daily for a while. He gently leaned in and told her, “You most likely won’t ever get another opportunity like this.” On hearing that, she accepted the offer from our hero. And just like that, our hero and another gentleman turned themselves into a human Hoyer lift!

 two men carrying a wheelchair-bound woman to swim in the ocean for the first time.
Image from TikTok.

Our hero and his assistant made the woman’s dream come true! She was able to stand, holding onto her two “transport technicians.” For the first time in her life, she was in the ocean!

woman in wheelchair swims in ocean for first time
Image from TikTok.

After “swimming” in the ocean, our mobility-challenged woman was able to stand on the beach for pictures. What a beautiful way to fulfill lifelong dreams.

woman poses with the men who helped her go into the ocean for the first time
Image from TikTok.

But that isn’t the end of the story for our hero. He chronicled the day and added his thoughts on what this meant for him. You can watch the entire progression and read his insights. It is an inspiring story.

@mistah_mean

• @jason__kosky The story goes like this: We were sitting down at our hotel pool side bar (that was 100 feet from where the ocean meets the sand) to have lunch. Directly to the right of me was a lady, in her 70’s who was clearly physically handicap and bound to her motorized wheel chair, with her caregiver, having lunch at the same place they have lunch every afternoon. She had lived her entire life in the Midwest, never leaving the state. Had no family and in so many words, decided to move to Hawaii to live out the rest of her life. She then casually mentioned that she was working with a doctor to help improve her leg function and mobility. Her goal was to one day be able to walk so she would not need as much around the clock help and so she could experience what it was like to go into the ocean, for the first time in her life. I asked her if there was any medical reason or if her doctor had instructed her not too go into the ocean, after she confirmed there wasn’t. I asked her if she wanted to get in the ocean today. Her hesitation was noticeable. Her fears kicked in and she began thinking of reasons to say no (and I wasn’t going to push the envelope). At the same moment the bartender who serves her daily leans over the bar and says “you most likely won’t ever get another opportunity like this.” That’s all it took. She accepted the offer. You are able to see, and for me feel the rest from watching the video. What you don’t see is the after effect. The emotional exhaustion and how it brought into retrospect the lack of inability/problems that existed in my life. Plus gratitude for what I do have, instead of what I don’t. This weekend I get to sit down at that same bar with the same lady and have lunch together. I get to thank her for the impact she had on me, by affording me the opportunity to step outside of myself for a moment. To be continued…. #kindness #hawaii #waikiki #meanhawaii

♬ original sound – Mistah Mean

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.

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