Elyssa's Smart Drive Power Assist Fundraiser

❤ Reaching out to the community for help ❤

I have not been sharing much regarding this, but some of you know that I have been dealing with an ongoing battle of two injured shoulders due to rotator cuff injuries for the last 1.5 years. I am in the position where I have tried almost absolutely everything to heal but I am worse than when I first got injured due to the nature of being paraplegic and living on my own, as I constantly have to wheel around and overuse my arms. I would get better for a day or two, and then would re-injure. They just do not have a chance to rest.

This has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life and I have been working hard to hang onto hope and find a solution. I have been unable to take care of even my basic needs like cooking for myself. The last seven months I have been in chronic pain, completely immobile, and isolated in my apartment, not even able to go downstairs and outside the main door without further injuring myself. I have been unable to work, walk my dogs, and have had a large financial strain as many days I cannot cook or clean so have had to hire in help out of my pocket to get basic tasks completed. I'm sure you can imagine the toll this would take on a person, especially someone like me who is usually so active and independent! Currently, I have spent most of the last 2 months in bed resting but I have not seen any improvement.

I have finally found a solution that I never knew existed! It is a power assist called a Smart Drive that attaches to the back of my own manual chair so I can be mobile, get out of the house, and still fit in my vehicle and get around in the small spaces that I need to without having to use my arms! I've been testing one out for the last two days and this has absolutely changed my life and given me so much of my freedom, independence, and mobility back! I believe this is the answer and the only way my shoulders can have a break and finally heal. I have hope again!

Unfortunately, the government will not fund anything for this device, and so I find myself in a sticky situation and am calling out to the community for support. The device is approximately $8000.00 plus tax and I've included a picture of it here!

Any amount of donation helps me greatly and is so appreciated. You can also etransfer if you prefer, where GoFundMe won't take their fee. Please reach out to me if you'd like the address!

Sharing this post on your profile would be helpful too.

Any additional donations past my goal will help me offset some of the costs associated with my injury and having to be off work.

Thank you so much for your support!