More Wheels for Gary
Donation protected
More Wheels for Gary!
If you know Gary, you know that ever since he suffered a severe brain injury in 2013, one of the joys of his life has been riding his recumbent trike. It’s great exercise, and it gives him freedom and a sense of normalcy and independence he doesn’t have walking with his cane or walker.
Gary can ride in beautiful places (like at Lake Dillon above) and be independently active in ways that were not possible with a manual wheelchair, but unfortunately you can’t take a trike just anywhere, for instance, museums, hardware stores, churches, restaurants, public restrooms, community events, or Coors Field – go Rockies! But in 2016, 2 years after getting his first set of wheels (his trike), he was unexpectedly given another.
A family in Greeley, CO blessed Gary and Ellen with a practically new Permobil F3 Corpus motorized wheelchair. This was a poignant and incredibly generous gift from a family who had experienced a heartbreaking loss. When they heard of Gary’s need for a soft, supportive wheelchair that reclined and could be operated with just one hand, they freely offered him the wheelchair they no longer needed for their son.
With this mobility aid, Gary will finally be able to go (nearly) anywhere he wants and be the captain of his own ship! He is especially looking forward to simple things like taking a walk with Ellen and his buddy Bitsy.
But this amazing gift also brought a challenge for Ellen: you need a mobility van to transport a 300-pound wheelchair.
Enter Gary’s next set of wheels!
After much online research and endless phone calls to United Access of Colorado Springs, a 2015 Toyota Sienna equipped with Rear Entry Power Conversion from BraunAbility was purchased in January 2019. This specific vehicle allows Ellen and Gary to travel with all his equipment -- motorized wheelchair, trike, and walker – in addition to two passengers! The van has an additional wheelchair tie down which means if Gary has a friend who uses a wheelchair, they can travel together.
The power conversion allows Ellen the ability to load Gary’s equipment safely and with far less lifting, and the remote control is great for Gary too, as he can open the hatch and roll right up the ramp into the wheelchair docking area.
The total for this vehicle plus the conversion came to $50,000, which includes modifications on the wheelchair to aid in safely locking the chair into place when underway.
Gary and Ellen have thus far received generous donations from the Oakes Home Trust through the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado ($5,000) and the Trinity Church Servant Ministries Committee in Greeley, CO ($1035) and have put in $7000 of their own savings. The remainder is financed through their credit union. We want to help set Ellen and Gary free from the burden of this debt. I never realized until walking through these past five years with our dear friends how incredibly expensive it is to have a disability; let’s support this family in their quest for mobility, freedom, and access! A donation of any size will put a big smile on Gary’s face and will let Ellen know she is loved and supported.
If you prefer to receive a year-end tax deduction receipt, please send your check to:
Gary & Ellen Nagel
c/o Trinity Episcopal Church
3800 W 20th St
Greeley, CO 80634
In the memo line of the check, please be sure to include: NAGEL MOBILITY VAN.
If you know Gary, you know that ever since he suffered a severe brain injury in 2013, one of the joys of his life has been riding his recumbent trike. It’s great exercise, and it gives him freedom and a sense of normalcy and independence he doesn’t have walking with his cane or walker.
Gary can ride in beautiful places (like at Lake Dillon above) and be independently active in ways that were not possible with a manual wheelchair, but unfortunately you can’t take a trike just anywhere, for instance, museums, hardware stores, churches, restaurants, public restrooms, community events, or Coors Field – go Rockies! But in 2016, 2 years after getting his first set of wheels (his trike), he was unexpectedly given another.
A family in Greeley, CO blessed Gary and Ellen with a practically new Permobil F3 Corpus motorized wheelchair. This was a poignant and incredibly generous gift from a family who had experienced a heartbreaking loss. When they heard of Gary’s need for a soft, supportive wheelchair that reclined and could be operated with just one hand, they freely offered him the wheelchair they no longer needed for their son.
With this mobility aid, Gary will finally be able to go (nearly) anywhere he wants and be the captain of his own ship! He is especially looking forward to simple things like taking a walk with Ellen and his buddy Bitsy.
But this amazing gift also brought a challenge for Ellen: you need a mobility van to transport a 300-pound wheelchair.
Enter Gary’s next set of wheels!
After much online research and endless phone calls to United Access of Colorado Springs, a 2015 Toyota Sienna equipped with Rear Entry Power Conversion from BraunAbility was purchased in January 2019. This specific vehicle allows Ellen and Gary to travel with all his equipment -- motorized wheelchair, trike, and walker – in addition to two passengers! The van has an additional wheelchair tie down which means if Gary has a friend who uses a wheelchair, they can travel together.
The power conversion allows Ellen the ability to load Gary’s equipment safely and with far less lifting, and the remote control is great for Gary too, as he can open the hatch and roll right up the ramp into the wheelchair docking area.
The total for this vehicle plus the conversion came to $50,000, which includes modifications on the wheelchair to aid in safely locking the chair into place when underway.
Gary and Ellen have thus far received generous donations from the Oakes Home Trust through the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado ($5,000) and the Trinity Church Servant Ministries Committee in Greeley, CO ($1035) and have put in $7000 of their own savings. The remainder is financed through their credit union. We want to help set Ellen and Gary free from the burden of this debt. I never realized until walking through these past five years with our dear friends how incredibly expensive it is to have a disability; let’s support this family in their quest for mobility, freedom, and access! A donation of any size will put a big smile on Gary’s face and will let Ellen know she is loved and supported.
If you prefer to receive a year-end tax deduction receipt, please send your check to:
Gary & Ellen Nagel
c/o Trinity Episcopal Church
3800 W 20th St
Greeley, CO 80634
In the memo line of the check, please be sure to include: NAGEL MOBILITY VAN.
Organizer and beneficiary
Cynthia Topp
Organizer
Poncha Springs, CO
Ellen Maxfield Nagel
Beneficiary
