My Story: Why I Need a Folding Power Wheelchair, Vehicle Lift, and oxygen concentrator.

I never thought this would be my life. I’ve lived with chronic illness for years—Addison’s disease, epilepsy, gastroparesis, heart disease, and more. I’ve learned how to adapt, how to manage. But everything changed just a few months ago.

Five weeks before my recent hospitalization, I suffered a massive heart attack. That alone would’ve been enough to alter my world. I was still reeling from it—still learning what my new “normal” might look like—when things got worse.

I began struggling to breathe. I had a chest x-ray that showed a small pleural effusion that should have resolved itself. 7 days later and another chest x-ray and a big surprise because the pleural space was completely filled, the lung was collapsed, and my heart was being compressed making it hard to beat. I was admitted to the hospital, where they found a large pleural effusion in my left lung and ground-glass opacities on my CT scan. My bloodwork showed signs of inflammation and possible malignancy. Fluid was drained, (2 liters in total) and the doctors are still trying to understand exactly what’s happening. But what we do know is that the combination of my heart and lung conditions has left me incredibly weak—and in pain nearly all the time.

Just walking from my bed to the bathroom causes my oxygen levels to plummet into the 70s. (Hypoxia) I use a portable inogen oxygen concentrator, which I’ve had since I contracted COVID-19 in 2020. That machine is now aging and now needs replacing, I have focused on trying to get everything taken care of by my insurance but they have not only made it clear they were denying my claim but they also were denying my CT scan. My pulmonologist had a peer to peer meeting with my insurance and go the CT scan approved, I will provide prices NOT including tax below (Uncle Sam needs his part…)

the money raised will be used to purchase the wheelchair I need, the in trunk lift and installation of the lift for my car trunk, and an inogen portable oxygen concentrator so I can have oxygen flowing in my body. .

I’m not asking for more than I need. I’m asking for the bare minimum that would allow me to function—to get to my doctor’s appointments, to go outside and breathe fresh air, to be present in the lives of the people I love. I’ve chosen the MAJESTIC IQ-8000 Remote Controlled Electric Wheelchair (17.5” OR 20” Wide Seat) ($1,899.00) because it’s the safest and most practical option for my body. It supports my weight, it reclines to ease spinal and chest pain, and it folds so it can go with me in my car. Not to mention it was the best priced chair I could find. But I can’t lift it alone. That’s why I also need the Smart Lifter by HARMAR

(Model No. AL425)—( $3,270.00) a compact hoist that can lift and store the chair in the back of my 2012 Nissan Cube. The portable oxygen concentrator is made by Inogen. ( $4,930) They call it « Rove 6 FREEDOM PACKAGE 3 »

NONE OF THESE PRICES INCLUDE TAX!

I’m not asking for luxury. I’m not asking for extras. I’m asking for mobility, for safety, for the ability to keep fighting for my health. I want to live—and to live with dignity. Everything I’m planning on purchasing is the economy item.

This chair and lift are not a convenience for me. I would rather not need them. They are the only way I can leave my home and participate in my own life. To have a way to attend my cardiologist, pulmonologist, oncologist and primary care doctors appointments. I have 3 letters of necessity from 3 different specialty doctors now.

If you’re able to donate, please know how deeply grateful I am. Every single dollar helps bring me one step closer to mobility and independence.

If donating isn’t possible, sharing this campaign is just as powerful, and meaningful to me. You never know who might see it—and sharing is how my story reaches the hearts of those who can give.

Most of all, thank you. Thank you for simply taking the time to read my story. That alone means more to me than you could possibly know.

the total I need is $1,2150 to purchase the chair lift and oxygen concentrator and have the lift installed in my car.

the installation of the lift cost is $2,151

then there is uncle Sam’s portion and he is greedy!

Many of you have asked me to provide options for ways to help me raise enough money to pay for the chair I need, the trunk chair lift, and oxygen concentrator so here is what you have asked for.

Chime $RiahWillow

Cash app $RiahWillow

PayPal http://www.PayPal.me/RiahWillow

PS.

A great question has been asked so I wanted to answer the question and the answer here.

Q. Do you mind sharing why they are denying you? I know there are disabled/senior transportation options. Would something like that help you or not? I can't believe they would deny you the oxygen!!

A. no I don’t mind. I have shared a few times but FBs algo is weird so most haven’t seen it. Here is the list that I was told.

1. The oxygen is portable not for use to sleep ( it is a pulse driven machine) and not really an at home unit. They pay for at home items only. If you want to leave your home, you have to use the pull behind tanks. Problem for me is being on such a high O2 demand the pull behind tanks only last 15 minutes. They only allow me 3 tanks at a time and just to go to my primary cares office at st Thomas I would need 4 to 5 tanks to get there, (depending on traffic) another 4-5 for the wait to be seen and the appointment if everything runs smoothly, ( we all know how that goes (hurry up and wait), then another 4-5 to get home. So going to the doctor is out of the question because I’ll run out of O2 prior to even getting halfway there.

2. The chair is foldable making it useable outside the home. They will pay for a hovereound type chair to be used at home. Problem with that is If I want to sneak and use it away from home like so many do I would have to buy a new car. (A handicap accessible van w ramp, an $80,000 expense that is not something I can do.) so again they only pay for in the home use.

3 the lift, it makes the chair useable outside the home and anything I do like a van, chair, oxygen bla bla bla that allows me to leave the home is completely “elective” and on my dime.

So the long and the short of it is will they pay for a chair? Yes, will they pay for the type I need to be able to leave the home and attend appointments No.

will they pay for a lift? Never.

Will they pay for oxygen? Yes but only home oxygen. It is insurance loopholes that they use to avoid paying while saying “but if you get this other we will pay.” I have a manual chair, a friend and nancy tried to lift it together to put it in my car after a doctors appointment and couldn’t. Not to mention I can no longer roll myself around in it because of the exertion on my heart and lungs. I was walking with a cane until my heart attack and now my lungs and the doc said I need to try not to exert like that so get a chair. I have a portable oxygen machine that Nancy Daniels got me in 2020 by taking out a $5,000 loan that we are still paying off so we are not in a position to do that again. But the machine is on its last leg and thank goodness it came with 2 batteries because they no longer last like they used to and it needs 2 parts that together to replace all that cost more than a new machine does.

As for the lift we needed that for years now, now it has just become can’t do it without it. Poor Thais and Nance will exclaim that, since both nearly took out what little back they still have just putting the manual chair in the car at the docs office.

As for senior rides………….. I do not have that on my insurance plan so they will not pay for it, and even if I did my O2 would run out before they got me home as that is an all day affair since they pick up and drop off multiple people on the route it is not just you. Kate was working for the ride co up until recently and she tried to get it for me and the answer was always “no”. A couple of times nancy couldn’t drive me to the doctor and I took an Uber but to get to the Dr was $60, then pay it again to get home and Uber doesn’t transport wheelchairs. So with me no longer on a cane even if I could afford it, it is no longer an option. This whole thing is frustrating and we have no idea how bad they treat our seniors until we are one or we are disabled. If it were not for my doc I wouldn’t have even known there was a chair / lift system that would work for my life. Thank you for asking. So many people do not understand all this, I know I didn’t until put in this situation.

Here is a link for the Medicare website that explains all of this. https://www.medicare.gov/publications/11045-medicare-coverage-of-dme-and-other-devices.pdf

hope this helps in understanding, above all I hope this info helps someone else before they need to know for themselves.