Hello I am nameless, some of you know me as Joe, others know me as Reda. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009, it was not relapsing remitting though, it’s been pretty aggressive and progressive from the start. The decline has been constant the whole 12 years now, I started using a cane around 2012, been using a front wheel walker this past year. The fact that I use my arms to walk causes me a lot of chronic pain problems, and is very hard to sustain. I can also not do anything if I am standing up or trying to walk because my feet cannot clear the floor I end up dragging them. That puts a lot of strain on my upper body, and it’s been sending me to the hospital. I recently got a manual wheelchair but it still requires a lot of arm work. If you know MS you know how bad fatigue can be.

I got my first MS symptoms in 2007, I was a 24 year old land surveyor working with high tech equipment, going to college to be a civil engineer. It took a couple of years to get my diagnosis, and by 2010 I was let go from my 5 year job. in 2011 I couldn’t play with my band anymore so that had to stop (also about 4-5 years). later that same year I got separated, divorced in 2012. I was able to get hired at 3 different jobs (retail, car sales…) and kept getting fired with no explanation, so in 2014 after many hospitalizations and no job to pay the bills, I had to file bankruptcy. MS did not slow down, despite all treatments and drugs. Ive been fighting to hold on to whatever independence I can and that has been an uphill battle. I will spare you the details.

Anyway, today I need a powerful reliable electric wheel chair, so I can go across the street to shop for groceries, and not worry about any enclines in ramps or any accessibility issues. This chair would improve my life so much, would decrease my fatigue levels and allow me to spend what energy I have on necessities. Mostly it will allow me to travel long distances and regain a lot of my independence. It would really be a dream come true. Please read all my updates

Update: I got a power chair in the apartment! This has improved my life so much, I can now pick up items and take them from point a to point B. I can also do a lot more around the house without spending so much time just traveling from one point to another. However, I am stuck at home. Because there are stairs here, I can’t go out because I can’t take this chair down the stairs. I need one for the outdoors, ive been missing so many events simply because I can’t call a cab, I don’t have a chair to ride where I need. This is why I need to reach this target, thank you for reading 

Update 2: it’s been a little over a year since I started using wheelchairs for the first time, my MS is very progressive, I was walking when I moved here. Unfortunately the progression isn’t slowing down, my most recent MRI findings show new lesions, and my physical symptoms have been the hardest this past year. I managed to get a hospital bed through my health insurance, and I have been trying hard to live a healthy life style, I live here alone with cats and plants. My health insurance won’t approve anymore physical therapy sessions at home, i really need a recumbent elliptical next to the bed. It would be a life changer, to be able to get out of bed and straight into moving both my arms and legs at the same time, from a sitting position, with back support. I have a lot of partial paralysis throughout my body, including my core, my hips and my back. So it’s not only legs, everything in my body feels so weak. If I could reach my go fund me target, this would improve my life so much. I can work further on strengthening my core and my limbs to hang on to whatever independence I can. 

Lastly, I can also use all your prayers and well wishes please, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, but I believe in the power of positive energy, cosmic karma and the power of prayers. Thank you for reading