
Aaron's New Wheelchair Fund
Donation protected
I became wheelchair-bound a little over 6 years ago. At first, I was devastated at the loss of my mobility, but as time passed, I slowly began to come to terms with my situation. I started with a manual chair, and then moved into an electric power chair. The power chair was very liberating, as it gave me the freedom to go farther and faster than I ever could with a manual one. At the time I received my power chair, I was very overweight, which neccessitated a larger-than-average chair. But, through diet and physical therapy, I was able to lose over 150 pounds. This did wonders for my health, but my power chair is now far too large for me. It does not fit through standard doorways, and only fits on certain handicap transport vehicles.
With the improvement in my health, I began taking a greater interest in the outdoors. Going for rides outside became an everyday occurance, and I became interested in shooting sports, such as sporting clays, and rifle and pistol marksmanship. This is where my power chair began to fall short. The power chair runs well over well-maintained paved surfaces, but easily gets stuck in grass, dirt, gravel, snow... basically anything other than a smooth roadway. Because of this, I am unable to go outside in snowy or icy weather, nor am I able to use most outdoor shooting ranges, since most ranges are not paved. I am also unable to join my nephew in his Boy Scout activities such as hikes, or even activities held in the park.
This is when I began researching tracked wheelchairs, which have "tank treads" rather than conventional wheels. The chairs are able to go over any surface; gravel, sand, snow, grass, etc. They are also capable of scaling non-handicap accessible curbs. The company I would like to go with, TracFab, makes tracked chairs that are only 30" wide, making them able to fit through standard doorways and on all handicap transportation.
Unfortunately, my insurance will not pay for one of these tracked chairs. They say that as long as my current chair is running, it is good enough for me, regardless of it being oversized and ungainly. This means I will have to pay for the tracked chair by myself. I have started this page in the hopes of helping to raise funds so that I can purchase a new tracked chair; one that will fit me and my lifestyle. Your help would be most appreciated. Any and all donations are welcome. Please share this campaign with others as well, so I can try to reach my goal. Thank you so much for your time.
With the improvement in my health, I began taking a greater interest in the outdoors. Going for rides outside became an everyday occurance, and I became interested in shooting sports, such as sporting clays, and rifle and pistol marksmanship. This is where my power chair began to fall short. The power chair runs well over well-maintained paved surfaces, but easily gets stuck in grass, dirt, gravel, snow... basically anything other than a smooth roadway. Because of this, I am unable to go outside in snowy or icy weather, nor am I able to use most outdoor shooting ranges, since most ranges are not paved. I am also unable to join my nephew in his Boy Scout activities such as hikes, or even activities held in the park.
This is when I began researching tracked wheelchairs, which have "tank treads" rather than conventional wheels. The chairs are able to go over any surface; gravel, sand, snow, grass, etc. They are also capable of scaling non-handicap accessible curbs. The company I would like to go with, TracFab, makes tracked chairs that are only 30" wide, making them able to fit through standard doorways and on all handicap transportation.
Unfortunately, my insurance will not pay for one of these tracked chairs. They say that as long as my current chair is running, it is good enough for me, regardless of it being oversized and ungainly. This means I will have to pay for the tracked chair by myself. I have started this page in the hopes of helping to raise funds so that I can purchase a new tracked chair; one that will fit me and my lifestyle. Your help would be most appreciated. Any and all donations are welcome. Please share this campaign with others as well, so I can try to reach my goal. Thank you so much for your time.
Organizer
Aaron Oleksa
Organizer
Bethlehem, PA