Sometimes the week goes by in the blink of an eye, and that was certainly the case with the last seven days of my life. Here’s the latest, for those of you keeping score. (what?)
Last Friday afternoon, I visited the American Airlines website to check in for my flight to D.C. I also put in the weight and dimensions of my power wheelchair that I fly with. I get transferred to a small roll on chair and then moved into my seat on the plane. My chair goes under the plane in the cargo hold. I have written about this process before. This time, I learned of a new issue.
After checking in online, I went back to work. Thirty minutes later, American Airlines called me to let me know that my chair is too tall to fit through the cargo hold door. Ummmmmm….
Airline: Do you have another chair? A smaller one?
Me: No.
Airline: Can you walk a little bit?
Me: No
Airline: Does the chair collapse, fold, or recline?
Me: No
Airline: You will not be able to fly, but we can offer you a full refund. Sorry.
Me: That is not acceptable. This is a business trip and I need to be in Washington D.C. tomorrow morning, which is why I booked my flight for late this afternoon. Are you telling me that American Airlines is unable to take me due to my power wheelchair being too large? I want to make sure that I am clear with you on that for when I contact the media.
Airline: There are a few things I can see about. Can I place you on a brief hold?
Me: Yes. Thank you for your help. I am glad that this is not happening AT the airport. What would have happened if I had not checked in online?
Airline: Sir, let me see what I can do.
———————10 minutes of hold music. I go back to working, which includes Slacking a few colleagues telling them what’s going on. I am now full blown grumpy ————————–
Airline: Thank you sir, are you still there?
Me: Yes. Thank you.
Airline: How far are you from Boston?
Me: Without traffic, it is about 35 minutes. If you know Boston, depending on the time of day, it could take me 90 minutes to get there.
Airline: We use larger planes in Boston, and, at no charge to you, we can rebook you for 7AM tomorrow morning on an Airbus.
Me: That is the work around? I am required to use a different airport because I am disabled?
Airline: Sir, most of the major carriers use the same type of regional jets, and they were redesigned in late 2022 and now have smaller cargo doors than before. This is the best option, or we can refund your fare in full.
Me: You have been helpful. This is not your fault and I thank you. Please understand that this feels like I am guilty of having the wrong type of wheelchair to fly from the airport that is closest and most convenient for me, but I understand the situation and I will take the 7AM flight.
Airline: Ok, sir, let’s take a look at what seats we have available……
AND…………….END SCENE.
Vanessa and I got up at 4AM the next day, drove to Boston and had no problems. We were in D.C. by 9AM and at the hotel by 10AM. We flew down to speak with our elected members of Congress (from NH) to talk about continued funding for muscular dystrophy research, as well as protecting Medicaid insurance and a program called Priority Review Vouchers. This is run through the FDA and the program aims to incentivize drug development for rare pediatric diseases.
Currently, there are 9 approved therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and this program touched 8 of the 9. In short, it’s a good incentive. It is about to expire, and so we spoke about the importance of keeping it. There is a Bill in Congress to protect the program, but time will tell if it gets a vote. We seem to be fixated on being angry with each other. This helps no one.
Everything we talked about was well received by our elected officials. Although the general mood in DC is tense, our entire group of more than 200 people from 32 different states came together for a common goal: keep muscular dystrophy funding and support on the government radar.
The trip was a refreshing break from everyone yelling over one another on social media. While there, Vanessa and I caught up with families who are also living with muscular dystrophy. We feel strongly about this work, not just for my situation, but an entire community that is fighting for the same thing. It is uplifting to be part of something that is bigger than yourself, which, I believe, is something all humans aspire to, whether through work, play, or volunteering.
Set against a backdrop of more police around the Capitol than I have ever seen, we walked from Senate to House offices in buildings on each side of the dome. We joined thousands of individual citizens who were all there with different “asks” of our government. While in security waiting lines, we learned about several other causes; school nutrition, firefighter rights, civil liberty pushes, people protecting sections of the Appalachian Trail, the ARC, and more. Everyone has a cause that they are passionate about and have taken time to travel to Washington to speak up about it. It’s pretty awesome to see.
While speaking in my meetings, I remarked that if our elected officials stop meeting with constituents face to face, and listening to our concerns, then it’s all over. In the current political climate, this is true now more than ever in my lifetime.
I strongly feel that visiting Congress as a lobbyist is something every one of us should experience. It feels a lot better than posting on social media. In the coming days, I will let you know how you can easily email your members of Congress to help raise the citizen voice.
Sitting in an office, speaking directly with my elected officials is totally worth getting up at 4AM. The American Airlines issue is annoying, but now the Government knows about that too. It can’t hurt right?
Stay safe, stay awesome, and stay tuned. No, I am not running for office. Stop asking.
Patrick moeschen 