Ease of travel

We had fun on our trip to London. It did not start out that way though.
On the way to Seattle, one of the tires on my chair blew. Popped. Exploded...whichever works best for you. If this gives the impression of flat tire, there is no fixing this flat, only replacing. We discovered that it was blown at 10pm. We thought the loud noise was a boulder hitting the windshield. Kinda like in the scene in "The Memphis Belle" when flak destroys the pilots' thermos, and the pilot and copilot are convinced the other was hit with shrapnel, Sarah and I looked at each other, the windshield, and each other, with the: "what was that?!?" look. Not until we got to her sister's, and I got in my chair, did I notice what "it" was. And Even then it took me looking at my blown tube, when I was working on fixing my flat, that it all came together.
We were supposed to be at the airport by 10am (1130 international flight). And if you know anything about me, I don't like to "push it", so I wanted to be at the airport by 0900. Still no worries you say? simply go to any number of bike shops in the Issaquah area and replace the tube. Sure, well OK, first option thought of was...heh heh heh...ho ho ho, (sorry still makes me chuckle) "lets just go to the VA". Yeah! I know! we actually thought that. So anyway, back in reality, we looked at which bike shops would be open. Turns out, they like to work reasonable hours, so none opened until 1000. Panic time for Sean. Luckily, one of the small shops, owner would let us in, this happened to be around 0900 by now. Turns out (as all wheelchair users know) bike tires are not the same size as wheelchair tires, thus bike stores do not carry the size tire a wheelchair requires. Screwy, and I think this should be remedied, but I don't know all the sordid details of tires, so I cannot offer a solution. And in my head: "See! throw in the towel this ain't gonna work!" Regardless, the store owner gives it a go. It seems my tire is blown. Not just the tube, but the tire as well. This means there is not enough tension to keep the tube from popping, which happens to the new tube that was just replaced. The tire store may be able to fit a tube in my odd size wheels, but a tire? no way. "Aww heck! Maybe Sarah can go to London on her own, or maybe the airlines will change the ticket for this medical emergency" Of course, Sarah is thinking, "I guess Sean gets to push around London on his rims till we can get this fixed" Go ahead and cringe, I am.
So, Sarah seems to think the VA is a viable option. Simply call them up, tell them I am coming in, and that I would like some assistance with a blown tire. At this point, I say sure, why not, what's it gonna hurt? May as well go through the motions. Whats the worst that could happen, except getting laughed at, or talked about around the "water cooler". And to no surprise to me, I have to leave a few messages. People are at work at the VA, its just that the only ones I get to talk to are the ones at the desk, the clerks, the "secretaries". The people I need to talk to are doing things. They are too busy to sit around at a desk to answer phone calls. Taxpayers don't like to see their money wasted in such way.
I drive to the VA, against all that is going on in my head. What is the point to go to the hospital to be ignored/can't help you, you don't have an appointment with me? But I want to appease Sarah, so I "go through the motions". And I roll in on my rims, because I want to carry some of the weight of my plight- its not her tire that blew. My first responses are as I expect. Sucks, but nothing I can do for you.
Then a miracle happens. A Physical Therapist gets my message, and comes looking for me! For those of you not familiar with socialized medicine, this scenario is unfathomable- akin to the Seahawks winning the super bowl- it just does not happen. (C'mon, I like the 'Hawks, I am simply not in denial. The Northwest does not win championships) Once the therapist came to us, I was on cloud 9. It is all downhill from there. We find a set of wheels in the store room, and I give her my wheels, and take this pair. It would have taken too much time to find a tire and a tube the same size and switch that out -seriously. So I went to London on some stranger's wheels. Thank goodness there is a store room at the VA with all the extra stuff. And that the real people at the VA are not automaton government workers (merely the secretaries, and clerks; just the people you have to go through to get to the therapists and nurses and such)!