Hello everyone! My name is Bethany I am a good friend of Derrick Ellard. Many of you know Derrick as “Country” and his story but for those who don’t please take a minute while I introduce you. Derrick is a 30 year quadriplegic which occurred after a tragic motor vehicle accident in February, 2022. He went through a very life changing incident. After his accident he was on a ventilator in multiple hospitals for several months. He was finally able to be discharged to nursing home here in Wilkes barre. Where he has been residing. Since his accident he has been able to recover from having a tracheotomy and full dependence of a peg-tube. He has overcome many medical obstacles on his journey. However, Derrick requires 24/7 nursing care. The chair provided by the nursing home is not equipped for Derricks diagnosis. Therefore he is only mobile when someone is able to push him around. A problem occurred with a 3rd party company that claimed his insurance would cover a motorized chair that has a joystick chin control for him to use to drive himself around. Two different companies measured him and let him test drive these chairs which he not

only fit perfectly into but also gave him back a

some independence !!! Last week Derrick & his family received a letter that they can’t provide the chair because he lives in a nursing home which leaves them with the option to pay for a chair out of pocket which is $24,000. This is an unbelievable amount of money and we are seeking help from our community! Help us get Derrick his wheels!