I have a friend (JW) who has severe Multiple Sclerosis so bad that she is essentially confined to a bed. Now, she has one of those electric "Chrstopher Reeves-looking" wheelchairs but requires someone (usually her sons or brother -- not JW) to physically pick her up and put her in it.
She hasn't been to a memorial in a couple of years, since her condition got so bad. She told me the other night that some of the congregation are gonna bring her to the one this Wednesday the 12th. I said "yeah, right" because they've been not too reliable, shall we say, when making promises of any type, even simple things, in the past. This would be the most difficult one yet, so we'll see.
She said they were going to get her a bed or reclinable surface for use. I asked why they weren't going to take her wheelchair and she said because it is too heavy. She has a regular chair, too, they could use but she said they were going to get the bed thing. I can't believe they couldn't get a couple of men using a pickup truck to do it. It only weighs about 200 lbs. And the regular chair is about 30 lbs. It makes no sense in either case.
But my main question is about transferring her to and from the chair, bed and vehicle. How are male JWs going to be able to touch the body of a single JW female to move her? Isn't there some prohibition about something like this? I mean, they're not supposed to even be in a car together, how could actual touching and picking up and carrying her be OK? Her sons or brother won't be going. Again, we'll see.
I told her why didn't jehovah just swoop down and move her wheelchair for her on his way to the memorial but she got pissed and hung up on me. Imagine that!