Wheelchair Diffusion Blog

There are many challenges that are faced by people with disabilities, their families, and their caregivers. Most rise to the challenge and make things happen their way, some way, or anyway they can.

To judge how any individual deals with the day-to-day of disability is to judge from a position of ignorance. Better not to judge at all but to respect and at times admire the tenacity of spirit and the emotional resiliency that carries these folks over the long haul.

Of the many groups that I have dealt with and come to know, the parents of children with disabilities get my highest marks. They are invested many times over and are tenacious activists with stone-hard focus. They are tough enough to get it done, and they do. When joined together they make a noise that is heard and they somehow manage to keep the decibels up there over extremely long and bad times.

My thoughts turned to these parents when I received a wheelchair review from the mother of a child that requires a pediatric wheelchair with certain very important features. Instead of being a solution the wheelchair in-part became yet one more obstacle:

“Heavy and awkward. Not enough space on tray for all medical equipment. (transport power battery, bipap, pressure monitor, pulse ox /heart monitor, suction unit). Difficult to get to some parts that need adjusted.Time consuming to make growth adjustments and add growth pannels to back of seat. Durable Medical Equipment company did not supply us with all the parts for growth.”

It is truly amazing and shameful that something as necessary and basic as a manual pediatric wheelchair could not be delivered intact and as promised. It is equally shameful that there are durable medical equipment companies that will not spend the necessary time in checking, assembling, and adjusting the products that they sell. Even when it is for a child.

My hat is off to the parents and family members of our young treasures. Stay tough and keep up the good fight.

Pay a visit to Mothers From Hell 2 if you would like to get a taste of the spirit: “Our name is not about our advocacy philosophy, but a name bestowed on us for daring to stand up for our kids.”