My Mom Needs a New Wheelchair
Donation protected
Just over 11 yrs. ago, my mother fell and injured her back. She was given a standard wheelchair to use until she recovered from her back surgeries. What we didn't expect was that the surgeries themselves would do even more damage and it would lead to a life long need for a wheelchair.
Her original chair is old and very difficult for her to use whenever the ground is wet, she comes to uneven pavement or even when she needs to push herself up various ramps, because it is a heavier chair w/standard wheels and made for someone else to be pushing. Finally, it weighs 25lbs. which she struggles with everytime she needs to put the chair in and take it out of her car.
With that all said, I have seen her keep to herself and stay home in the last couple of years, more and more. I also know that she would never ask for help in getting a new chair...but she really needs a custom fit chair that is light enough to transport as well as easy to maneuver on her own. I know that if she could get out and about more often, she would likely see some positive affects on her health.
After doing quite abit of research on the different types and brands of wheelchairs, I have narrowed it down to two wheelchairs for her to pick from.
http://www.tilite.com/chairs_2gx.php http://www.tilite.com/chairs_aerox.php
I am trying to raise the money to purchase one for her. She gave my sisters and myself everything we needed as we grew up and now I want to do the same for her. My mother spent her entire adult life as a single mother raising my sisters and myself. There were many years that she worked 3 different jobs...to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I can even remember times when she would not eat so that we all had meals.
I now want to help her to enjoy her life...Although she is in Chronic Pain most days, if she could get out more often I believe she would feel a lot better and I would feel better knowing she was safe when she's out and about on her own. With the chair she has now, she has gotten caught in rain and her wheels continuously slip. She has crossed busy intersections and then couldn't get up the ramp to the sidewalk on the other side, because of uneven pavement and the wrong size of tires. Finally, the worst incident was when she was getting on the Metro Rail and the small front wheels got stuck and the doors of the train closed w/her half in and half out. Luckily there was someone who quickly jumped off and lifted her chair up and into the train. The bottom line is that she needs a chair that is built for the type of places she goes and will fit her measurments vs. the standard chair where her feet hit the ground if she doesn't hold the off the ground.
Her original chair is old and very difficult for her to use whenever the ground is wet, she comes to uneven pavement or even when she needs to push herself up various ramps, because it is a heavier chair w/standard wheels and made for someone else to be pushing. Finally, it weighs 25lbs. which she struggles with everytime she needs to put the chair in and take it out of her car.
With that all said, I have seen her keep to herself and stay home in the last couple of years, more and more. I also know that she would never ask for help in getting a new chair...but she really needs a custom fit chair that is light enough to transport as well as easy to maneuver on her own. I know that if she could get out and about more often, she would likely see some positive affects on her health.
After doing quite abit of research on the different types and brands of wheelchairs, I have narrowed it down to two wheelchairs for her to pick from.
http://www.tilite.com/chairs_2gx.php http://www.tilite.com/chairs_aerox.php
I am trying to raise the money to purchase one for her. She gave my sisters and myself everything we needed as we grew up and now I want to do the same for her. My mother spent her entire adult life as a single mother raising my sisters and myself. There were many years that she worked 3 different jobs...to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I can even remember times when she would not eat so that we all had meals.
I now want to help her to enjoy her life...Although she is in Chronic Pain most days, if she could get out more often I believe she would feel a lot better and I would feel better knowing she was safe when she's out and about on her own. With the chair she has now, she has gotten caught in rain and her wheels continuously slip. She has crossed busy intersections and then couldn't get up the ramp to the sidewalk on the other side, because of uneven pavement and the wrong size of tires. Finally, the worst incident was when she was getting on the Metro Rail and the small front wheels got stuck and the doors of the train closed w/her half in and half out. Luckily there was someone who quickly jumped off and lifted her chair up and into the train. The bottom line is that she needs a chair that is built for the type of places she goes and will fit her measurments vs. the standard chair where her feet hit the ground if she doesn't hold the off the ground.
Organizer
Daniel Foster
Organizer
Kettering, MD
