I did it. I broke down and bought a dork vest – my pet name for the cooling vests that people with MS-related heat intolerance (like me) are urged to wear in the hot weather. After comparing all the products for such variables as effectiveness and stylishness – at least as well as you can do that online – I opted for the cheapest one I could find, a zip-up khaki model by Silver Eagle.

This is a major concession to the MonSter for me, another lost battle.

I swore no matter how bad my heat sensitivity got I would never, ever, ever do either one of two things: I would never buy a floppy hat and I would never, under any circumstances, no matter what, buy a dork vest.

It’s bad enough I wear strapped-back old-lady sandals that don’t drop off my feet, and a purse that slings across my shoulder for when my arms feel weak, and tinted eyeglasses for both indoor and outside use so my eyes don’t blur or ache as much. I had to draw the line somewhere!

No floppy hat, I swore. No vest.

Well, at the beach over Memorial Day, even though frou-frou makes me itch, I bought a lovely floppy hat made of a floral-patterned chintz. I tell you no lie. It’s subtle, though – mostly white with tiny pink flecks. The temp didn’t even crack 80, but without that hat I felt like a water ice left on a boardwalk bench.

And today, day four of our first heat wave here in the North East, day four of only being able to leave my house for an extended period of time at night, day four of wishing I could at least go see my garden, day four of feeling – despite the central air – like an overdone spaghetti noodle, day four of remembering days 11, 12, 13 and 14 from last summer's heat wave, l bought a dork vest.

I’m looking forward to receiving it sometime over the next six to 10 business days.

So now I’ve got the complete outfit – foot-drop resistant sandals, bandolier-style purse, a floppy hat, prescription sunglasses and a khaki Silver Eagle zip-up dork vest that hardly beads up with condensed water at all, guaranteed.

Sigh. And yet I feel that I'm missing something. Maybe a small dog?

Re: Dork shoes, dork vest, etc. I'm wearing my usual Birkenstocks; these are the black ones. And, I'm wearing the tan fishing vest with lots of pockets so I always have "everything" with me because I have short term memory loss. And, I have my keys on a key holder strap around my neck so they're always with me. And there are lots of things I need when I go places which are in the fanny pack. And, the cell phone is attached to the fanny pack by one of those curly cords. I keep the cell phone in my pocket most of the time. And, my ID and bus and rapid transit tickets are in a holder which hangs around my neck. I guess I'm more nerdy than you are. :( and :)

Josie, you don't sound very comfortable with your disability. Sounds like you have self-esteem issues regarding your disability and the equipment you have to use. Myself and most other disabled people I know view our wheelchairs and any other equipment we may use like a badge of honor. It means we are suvivors, and while parts of our bodies may be broken, our spirits remain unbroken. You're not in High School anymore (at least I hope not) and life isn't a popularity contest about who is the most fashionable. In summary, wear what is comfortable and makes the community more accessible to you. It's all about accessibility, not opinions.

You still might need respite care in order to assist two disabled persons with multiple health care needs and keep the love going. Power wheelchairs that fit can help a 13 year old get to school. Perhaps move around a little and get a feel for immigrants. Hershey Park looks pricey and inaccessible. Drove around but couldn't afford chocolate that day. Inaccessible van and no person carriers on site :)

Thanks so much for wonderfully funny article. By the way, I got the small dog two and half years ago.

To unbearable I think Josie was mostly being silly. ...but some PDW do look cooler in several senses of the word. Like our friend, Ann, in Berkeley who is one of the little people is very careful to not dress like a child. And, Mark Beckwith has interesting equipment on his power wheelchair. And, Jim Gonsalves still often wears traditional business shirts during the week. ...sometimes you get a little more respect that way. And, we like the motorcyclist wallet with a chain which Jim uses.

OKay, I checked out the vest and it was not dorky, not by a long shot. I have seen some really baad looking cooling vests. I actually searched my SU site for one that I saw on there so I could send you the link to make you feel better :) Couldn't find it...you're gonna have to take my word for it, it's not that dorky.