
Racing Chair Fund
Donation protected
Hi guys! I am recently paralyzed from a genetic mutation called Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP). A year ago, I could walk, albeit with difficulty. At the end of May 2014, I was completely unable to move any part of my legs except my left toes.
I got into wheelchair racing at a US Paralympic Track and Field clinic, but getting my own racing chair is expensive. Sprinting and competition both make me really happy, and they get me through my depression in a way that medication doesn't. The racing chair I'm looking at is the Soaring Eagle racer, which is $500 cheaper than the other racer I have looked at, the Top End Eliminator. I need a little more money that the list price of the chair, as I'm unable to use a kneeling model. My legs are stuck in a permanent sitting position, and a footplate that allows for that position costs extra, plus there are shipping and handling fees.
This past year I've had to pay a lot of expensive medical bills, including buying my everyday wheelchair, diagnostics, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and many medications for the spasticity of HSP and epilepsy. Like all wheelchairs, racing chairs are expensive due to being specially made, as every body is different and they have to be made to individual specifications. Every little bit helps, even if it's just a couple of bucks from each person who can donate. Even if I can't reach my whole funding goal, being able to lessen the cost even partially would make my dreams of competition possible by allowing me to train more fully with an actual racing chair rather than in my regular wheelchair.
I got into wheelchair racing at a US Paralympic Track and Field clinic, but getting my own racing chair is expensive. Sprinting and competition both make me really happy, and they get me through my depression in a way that medication doesn't. The racing chair I'm looking at is the Soaring Eagle racer, which is $500 cheaper than the other racer I have looked at, the Top End Eliminator. I need a little more money that the list price of the chair, as I'm unable to use a kneeling model. My legs are stuck in a permanent sitting position, and a footplate that allows for that position costs extra, plus there are shipping and handling fees.
This past year I've had to pay a lot of expensive medical bills, including buying my everyday wheelchair, diagnostics, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and many medications for the spasticity of HSP and epilepsy. Like all wheelchairs, racing chairs are expensive due to being specially made, as every body is different and they have to be made to individual specifications. Every little bit helps, even if it's just a couple of bucks from each person who can donate. Even if I can't reach my whole funding goal, being able to lessen the cost even partially would make my dreams of competition possible by allowing me to train more fully with an actual racing chair rather than in my regular wheelchair.
Organizer
Hallie Smith
Organizer
Northampton, MA