Oh Hey! It’s Alyssa #15: Flight Risk

“Oh Hey! It’s Alyssa” is a biweekly web comic by Alyssa! 

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A. Andrews

A. is a totally complete incomplete paraplegic and thirty-something hanky-in-the-pocket cartoonist weirdo!

A. has written 69 articles for us.

7 Comments

  1. the thing in the plane happens all the time. I am going to travel on Saturday and I’m not looking forward to it :D I mean, logically, it is understandable, but it’s like “yeah it’s better you die than all of the others and you can’t be in the way”

    • Totally. I never sit in Emergency Exit rows which makes a ton of sense. I know that I wouldn’t be the gal to help remove doors to planes or do any kind of quick response with any or all of my might. But, it’s always really jarring and upsetting when an airline attendant comes specifically to me to tell me if there’s an emergency don’t get up. It’s like, well I wasn’t scared but I am now! haha.

      I also frequently get scolded if someone offers to put my bag up top in the stow away. staff comes over and tells me I should check my bags if I “can’t even lift it myself.”

      TSA is always the worst part for me because they always make a scene and I get embarrassed and frustrated.

  3. All my feels, Alyssa. Trying to navigate air travel my last time was a nightmare in every physical and emotional way. *hugs*

  4. As a visibly-abled person, I had no idea this was something flight attendants said/did! I can only imagine the anxiety preceding and following this statement.

    I also wanted to thank you for these comics. I have been sick with a flare up of my chronic illness for the past month, and between the stress of not being able to work, money stress, finding new doctors in a new city, and navigating friendships/relationships while being sick, I have been a ball of stress and anxiety. I just had a bit of a break down because I realized my new doctor didn’t have the knowledge and experience necessary for my disease, and then decided to come here to read your comics. My heart rate is down and I am feeling so much better right now. So thank you for sharing your comics with us :)

    • Hey Camille,

      Thanks so much for the kind words and for sharing a bit of your experience. I’m glad these can resonate with all sorts of people and their various life circumstances. And it’s always nice to know that you’re shedding light on something that may otherwise go overlooked. So thank you for that.

      I just wanted to reach out re: your current frustrations with your health and the cracks within our medical systems. I’ve had drs research my disease on Wikipedia…….. which is a sure fire way to say “get out of there and get another opinion.” There is always going to be a completely shitty fucked up terrible horrible series of barriers in dealing with a body that doesn’t want to work – be it forever or for a moment. Just remember to be kind to yourself. And know that you deserve the qualities of care that will bring you some peace and acceptance of the here and now.

      Life can be really shit and unfair. But it’s an odd sort of gift that along with its challenges, we gain a new lens. When we feel we are losing we are gaining so much – it’s the remembering to breathe and do something about all that we’ve gained that proves challenging.

      I wish you love and light through the dark times, and as cliche as it sounds anymore, it really does and will get better.

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