Monday's Making a Difference - A Good Chair

Brielle's Wheelchair

Today's Making a Difference isn't a "who", it's a "what"...

When Brielle was about a year old, her therapists advised us to start working with our insurance company to get Brielle fitted for a wheelchair because she would probably never walk. She defied the odds (or at least the predictions) and began walking with a walker before her third birthday and was walking on her own in just a few months.

However, as she grew, she could no longer fit in traditional infant/child strollers. When she was about five years old, we upgraded to a medical stroller/wheelchair. Although we only use it for times/events with lots of walking, it's been a lifesaver on many occasions.

And boy, has that chair traveled around!

Sea World in San Antonio, TX
2001

Little friends can ride a long!

We used to always take it to the mall.
When Brielle was little enough, my purse could sit beside her!

At a celebrity golf tournament in Austin, TX
Look at all we can hang off the back of the chair!

With a family friend at the Toledo Zoo in Ohio
2007

At the Atlanta Zoo in Georgia
Spring 2008

At the Atlanta Aquarium in Georgia
June 2008

At Disney! (in Orlando, FL)
February 2009

In front of the White House! (in Washington, DC)
September 2010

At Clearwater Beach, FL
September 2011

At the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL for new student orientation
Again, look at all we can pile on the back of her chair!
June 2012

Today, we actually needed it around the house. It seems as though Brielle might have broken her big toe yesterday. :(  She can't put any weight on her right foot unless she is wearing her sister's "boot" from when she broke a toe last summer. (That was the second time Ashley broke a toe -- My girls seem to be prone to this sort of thing, eh?) To make things easier around the house, we're using the wheelchair.

Today with her broken toe :(
Owie!!

The fact that she still fits in the chair after 12 years is fairly shocking, although it isn't an "ideal fit" for every day use. It looks less like a wheelchair than some models, but is sturdy and can even be loaded on to a school bus if needed. This chair folds in half and is portable even though its bulk and weight almost maxes out my ability to lift it into the back of my vehicle.

Folded up in the back of my vehicle
(see the back right in front of Brielle)

None the less, it has been extremely useful over the years and makes an incredible difference when it's needed!