Well, this is a real loss. John Callahan has died.
He was a cartoonist who was also a quadriplegic. When he was 21, he left a topless bar, drunk, and drove 90 miles an hour into a telephone pole. Many of his cartoons were about the handicapped, and earned him a lot of hate mail from folks who were also handicapped (and who usually had no idea he was).
You can see examples of his cartoons here: http://www.callahanonline.com/index.php
I met John years ago when I worked at the front desk at Good Samaritan Hospital (not a dream job for a college graduate, but there were no jobs at all, much like it feels today). In his autobiography, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
I was responsible for a lot of that trapping. I winced when I was reading the book, waiting for my name to come up, but he didn't out me.
Several years after I got a better job, I ran into John in Northwest Portland. He was stopped at a street corner. With a look of embarrassment, he asked if I could push him home - his battery-powered wheelchair had died. Those things are freaking heavy. They're not meant to be pushed at all, let alone uphill. I tried not to let on how hard it was.
I hope John is walking in heaven.
