Just before Christmas, we had two special visitors come to our office unannounced. It is always fun to have someone show up with a special request or story.
This young lady was told by her sister that she should come in and visit with us on about solving a problem. As you can see, she has no legs and would like to visit with us about getting a new wheelchair that would fit her needs.
Upon looking at her 15 year old wheelchair, we knew we could help. The wheelchair had been repaired in every way possible. Packing tape held the backrest and seat together. The front caster wheels came from an old grocery cart. The bearings in the back wheels were wore out to were the wheels wobbled. No brakes were on the wheelchair at all. The cross member frame had been welded several times and wire held many parts together. This is a wheelchair looking for an accident to happen. I am amazed at how they can repair and repair to keep anything going.
We did the required assessment and determined that she should get a 16" Rough Rider. When I looked around the office, I found a 14 inch. We placed her in it and found it was too small but I wanted to see if without her legs it could be stable. Its going to work. But I couldn't get her out of it to find a 16 inch. I talked and talked to assure her it would be better to have the larger wheelchair. I did locate the proper wheelchair downstairs and helped her make the switch. I told her that she couldn't take it home until she stopped smiling. She tried, but she couldn't do it.
Come to find out, she is a non-member, but her sisters are members. She said she was in the process of investigating a church that could be so generous. The Lord works wonders.
I helped her out of the building and as I did, her old wheelchair totally fell apart. Coincidence? I don't think so.
Just a few minutes after she left, a young Elder Missionary from Australia came in to say good bye. He had broken is ankle playing basketball on his p-day. Go figure. At first they thought he had only sprained it, but an x-ray determined it was badly broken. I had originally set him up in this MRC wheelchair and repaired a few things so he could be accommodated to get around. He was very disappointed because he only had 3 months left on his mission. He was going to have surgery.
They had to place 5 screws and pins in his ankle to make it right. The surgery was a great success and he was healing fine in the MRC (Missionary Recovery Center). We learned he is a Rugby player and a very good one. Come to find out, the break was a bad weakness in his ankle that would have certainly broken in the near future. Having it happen on his mission allowed him to have the best of medical care that couldn't be provided once he got home.
Even though he was now heading home about 6 weeks early, he has had a serious problem taken care of. Coincidence? I don'think so.
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