Run ~ SBI

1 ~ There Are Holes In This Bucket

Asthma; Inflammation and narrowing of the small airways in the lungs cause asthma symptoms, which can be any combination of cough, wheeze, shortness of breath and chest tightness.

Osteoporosis; Causes bones to become weak and brittle — so brittle that a fall or even mild stresses such as bending over or coughing can cause a fracture.

Thalassemia; An inherited blood disorder caused when the body doesn't make enough of a protein called haemoglobin, an important part of red blood cells.

Cystic fibrosis; Another genetic disorder that causes problems with breathing and digestion through an unnaturally frequent production of mucus.

Paralysis; An inhibition of muscle function, causing the afflicted to rely on a wheelchair due to their inability to move, feel, walk or run.

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Blinking against the harsh morning sunlight that filters through his window, Tommy pushes himself into a sitting position. He sighs, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders, both having gone stiff during the night. For some ungodly reason, his body has taken to making him feel more tired waking up than he did going to sleep. It's fine, he doesn't need that extra hour (he definitely does).

He hauls himself to the end of his bed, dragging his incredibly useless legs behind him. There stands his chair, in position for him to guide his feet to the floor and use the newfound leverage to pull himself into the seat and start his day.

He's used the wheelchair to get around for as long as he can remember. He remembers one specific moment from his very early childhood; a playground. While his older brothers ran around and played on swings and see-saws, Tommy watched from a tiny chair fit for a tiny body. But, he remembers standing up and plodding over to join them a few seconds later, but he was just small.

His memory gets definitely a little fuzzy trying to remember that far back.

He does, however, remember shining aluminium alloys, painted bright red just like all of his other chairs, because that's the way he likes it. His current chair, fondly nicknamed Grease Lightning, will hopefully see him through the rest of his life. His father, Phil, says that people stop growing when they hit fifteen. Tommy's sixteen now, so it seems he's done.

That's not the only thing he's done with. He's getting a little tired of this house, if he's completely honest. Sure, it has all the things he cares about in it, but it's all he's ever known. It's boring. He wants to reach new heights, explore new places, try new things. At the rate he's going, he'll be eighty when Phil finally decides to let him out into the world.

For example, Christmas. Their family doesn't follow any sort of God, but on more than one occasion, Tommy has rolled in on Phil whispering to himself with his eyes closed. That aside, they celebrate Christmas the same as every other family. Phil always does it up nicely, buying a real tree to shove into a flowerpot and decorate with lights and shiny things called 'baubles' and 'tinsel'. Every single year, it fascinates Tommy how a drab fir tree can become such a glowing beacon of joy. The parcels underneath that tree were another fiasco.

For Techno, the eldest, there are always ever so lovely gifts, personal and well-thought-out. One year after he had shown an interest in historical warfare, it was Sun Tzu, the Art of War. Another year, after asking for a dog, Floof joined their family.

That dog hated Tommy and he made it well known, though Phil thinks it was just the chair he didn't like. If Tommy sat on the floor with him, he and the dog seemed to get on just fine. When he got back into his chair, the growling and yapping would return. It was almost a relief when Floof mysteriously dissapeared one day. After being snarled and barked at constantly for almost three years, silence is a blessing.