Joe's Life Changing Track Chair

Eight years ago, when he was seventeen, my friend Joseph Carpenter was driving home early one morning when he fell asleep at the wheel. In his car wreck, he sustained a spinal cord injury rendering him a C6 quadriplegic. He is paralyzed from the chest down, his hands are paralyzed, and part of his rotator cuff is paralyzed, limiting the function in his left shoulder. He spent years going to therapy, battling sickness, and having additional surgeries from complications arising from his injuries.

 

Up until January of this year, Joe lived with his father Tony, who was his main caregiver along with his nurse, Jill. Tony unexpectedly passed away in January. Tony’s passing was and still is a hard pill for all of us to swallow, but I know it hurts that much more for Joe. He was Joe’s best friend and they had a relationship that will never be duplicated. Not only did Joe lose a father and best friend, but he is now without one of the main resources that assisted him in daily life.

 

Before Joe’s wreck, he was always outdoors. His favorite hobbies were off the pavement. He is happiest in the woods surrounded by the trees and wildlife. Due to the fact his wheelchair now is very basic and meant for smooth, paved surfaces, he is often confined to areas that are meant for regular wheelchairs. This means that the woods are seldom an option for him anymore. Activities like camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, and walking his dog are the things he loves. These activities would become more of a reality with an Action Track Chair.

 

An Action Track Chair would make Joe’s life bigger and more adventure filled than it has been in the last 8 years since his wreck. It would make being outdoors off the beaten path a reality for Joe once again. It would mean that he could simply go outside into his yard without asking for assistance, and he could experience the outdoors in a whole new way.

 

With your help, we could make this a reality for Joe and genuinely change his quality of life forever.