Donate for a Life-Changing Wheelchair

I was given a choice, do nothing and become paralyzed from the quickly advancing spinal stenosis or have the extensive spinal surgery and have a small chance of walking again. Small chance vs no chance, hmmmm. I took the small chance. I came out of the surgery and was able to wiggle my toes the next morning when I came out from under the anesthesia fog.

Then came the physical therapy. Pain became an all too familiar companion. Just over 4 months out surgery and the pain hasn't left me, but at least I can better predict to what degree I'm going to feel it with each step or motion I take. I can use a cane to get around the house and I can use that Cane to make very short trips to appointments or to the grocery store. One thing I can't predict is my walk. I have 3 styles of walking. 1 is a soft gingerly step. 2 is a wobble side to side walk. 3 is a type you've all seen on tv in the toddlers diaper commercials. Stepping like you have a diaper-load and no, God kept me from being incontinent so no diaper for me. My surgeon told my that with my spinal damage, my brain and my legs just don't communicate very well. True, a lot of times when I stand up, I have to take a moment and consciously tell my leg to take a step. That really frustrates me. Standing in line is something I can't do as the pain pretty much takes me out after a couple of minutes. Shopping, nope, can't do that. Go for a day trip somewhere, again, nope. I can't sit for very long without shifting my weight constantly and walking around, again, not gonna happen.

If you have or know someone who has experienced nerve pain or neuropathy, then you can have some sort of idea of what I'm going through. The stabbing pain in the lower back, both hips and both legs, the feeling of being tazzed or stabbed and tazzed is an every day experience.

The only thing I understand I can do is to use a wheelchair when I need to walk more than a tiny bit. The specialized wheelchair cushion will help some with the sitting. Most people think that you have to be paralyzed to need a wheelchair. Not true, there are quite a number of medical reasons to use a wheelchair. I fall into the ambulatory wheelchair user category. For instance, this past Friday, I did a good bit of physical therapy, had to go to the pharmacy and I had to pick up a couple, just a couple of things at the grocery store. I didn't recover from the pain until sometime after lunch Sunday. I've got to get back to work, and I have a desk job but with a fair bit of walking also. I can't take a couple days to recover after a full day at work. So you see my delima.

I have a lifetime lifting limit of 20# so I will have to have a lightweight wheelchair frame with easy to remove/reinstall wheels.

Such a wheelchair has to be custom made and they cost thousands of dollars. I'll also need to have a few modifications made at home but not much, so that which is were my GoFundMe figure came from.

Update 12/31/24: I just got two wheelchairs quotes to me. What I need is $5150. What I can probably get by on is $4019. That's a gut punch as I had estimated the wheelchair portion of my goal to be between $2600-3500. Any and all help has been and will be greatly appreciated.

Charlie