Coming to terms with using a wheelchair

Last May/early June, I had foot surgery for a recurring ulcer. I had been dealing with this issue for years. My Dr informed me that I would have to start using a wheelchair part time for distances to alleviate some of the pressure I was putting on my foot as I walked. I had been able to walk my entire life, and I took this as a step backward where my mobility was concerned. I became very upset over this. I would complain to anyone who would listen. When I would complain to my siblings, a couple of them basically told me to get over myself. This was easier said than done.

While coming to terms with this reality, I went to a rehab facility for 3 months while my foot healed. While there, I had OT, PT, and wound care at rehab. I was taught how to handle things like getting things out of a cabinet, cooking, cleaning,  from a seated position. I didn't want to do any of this because I didn't think I needed any of this, I was in denial. I would argue with the therapists all the time about how difficult it was. I would say/ask but why cant I do it this way or that way?

When I wasn't in therapy, I would research wheelchair, crutches, walkers on the computer. This just depressed me even more. One day, something told me to look up wheelchair sports. I saw something on wheelchair 5ks. I thought, hmmmmmm, I might be able to do something like that. I asked the therapists if that would be an attainable goal for the Fall providing I kept up with therapies. They said yes. I began "training" at the facility. I would do laps of all of the nursing stations. I figure out that if I did 22 laps from the therapy room, all the way around all three nursing stations, it equaled the distance of a 5k. I have completed two 5k, one in September, and one in October of last year, both in one of the cheap clunky Medicare chairs. I am looking forward to entering more this year in a racing chair I am planning on getting in the near future.

My question is, have any of you gone through any situation that you had a hard time handling and if so, how did you deal with it?

Here are a couple pictures from my first 5k.