Stories

The Impact Your Wheelchair Purchases Have Made So Far!

When you purchase from mPOWER Chairs, we will donate a portion of the proceeds to help provide wheelchairs to those in need in developing countries. It is estimated that at least 75 million children, teens, and adults are in need of a wheelchair, but cannot afford one. Without mobility, these individuals are often left confined to their rooms, hindered from going to school, making a living, or participating in community without a loved one carrying them.

For this reason, we have chosen to partner with Free Wheelchair Mission to donate a portion of every sale to the cause of mobility.

FWM

The following stories document how your purchase through mPOWER Chairs can change lives.

An Act of Love for Others

High up in the Andes Mountains of Peru, in a small village at the end of a winding dirt road, lives a 33-year-old woman named Roció.

Roció contracted polio at the age of six. She walks with great difficulty, using a stick for support, and has never had a wheelchair before.

This tenacious young mother refuses to see her disability as an obstacle in her life. She works hard, doing her best to care for her husband and their three children while earning some income as a crafts teacher.

Still, having mobility would help make her day-to-day life much easier.

Roció prayed and waited patiently for a wheelchair. Then, when she finally received one through our Free Wheelchair Mission's local distribution partner, Camino de Vida Church, she broke down and wept.

“This is the first time I have seen someone donate wheelchairs in my area,” she said through tears. “There is a lot of need in my town. Thank you for having a generous heart. I thank God for bringing you here to do this act of love for others.”

With her new wheelchair, Roció is most excited about being better able to contribute to the well-being of her family.

Love and Hope to Others

“Life was hectic,” expressed Odetta, a 38-year-old mother in Rwanda.

Not only does she have her hands full raising four kids, ages three to 12, she also serves as the full-time caregiver to her 14-year-old brother, Ildephonse.

Ildephonse needs help walking, and with Odetta and her husband always being occupied with providing for the family’s needs, he would usually be confined to their modest home.

“I wished to go to school and play with other children of my age and my friends, but I could not because I could not easily walk to them, which used make me feel lonely,” lamented Ildephonse.

“Whenever he mentioned that to me, I would feel very sorry for him,” said Odetta through tears. Although she longed to help, she just didn’t have the time needed to get him to school each day, nor could she afford a wheelchair for him.

But thanks to the generosity of friends like you, Ildephonse received a new wheelchair in 2019, through Free Wheelchair Mission's distribution partner, Food for the Hungry.

With mobility, Ildephonse can now get something to eat by himself when he’s hungry, and he can go outside to socialize with his neighbors. You’ll often find him outside, cracking jokes with his friends.

Most importantly, Ildephonse was finally able to start going to school. “I was attending (third grade) before the COVID-19 outbreak, and that was what I most wanted,” he told us. His sister was thrilled that his dream came true, grateful and relieved that he now has hope for a better future, which she had been praying for.

“God is really great and has never abandoned the needy ones,” said Ildephonse. He expressed his gratitude to all involved for “extending love and hope to others who seem hopeless.”

Stories

Hope for the Next Generation

Richard, 10, lives with his mother and father in an urban neighborhood west of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, he faces daily challenges, including a valve in his head to manage fluid buildup. Yet, Richard’s resilience shines through, supported by his loving parents.

His father, Román, wants the best for his son and dreams of a day when Richard will walk. This dream came one step closer when Richard received a new GEN_3 wheelchair, which enables Richard to attend physical therapy sessions. Determined to learn and grow, he also uses the wheelchair to attend a school for people living with disabilities.

Richard, who has an uncanny ability to immediately repeat words and phrases he hears in another language, hopes to learn English and perhaps become a translator someday.

Richard, who has an uncanny ability to immediately repeat words and phrases he hears in another language, hopes to learn English and perhaps become a translator someday.

STORIES

Seeking Refuge in Thailand

Ta, 18, and her parents were originally from Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country also known as Burma.

The family fled to neighboring Thailand after a violent coup, leaving everything behind.

Adjusting to their new life as refugees was a struggle. Away from their homeland, they arrived in Thailand with nothing. Then, tragically, Ta’s father passed away, leaving her and her mother to fend for themselves.

Determined to overcome her circumstances, Ta attended a migrant learning center and was a diligent student. However, her life was disrupted once again when she was involved in a motorcycle crash on her way home from school.

The accident left Ta in the hospital with a broken leg. After three days of treatment, she was discharged with orders to have her wounds dressed daily.

Her mother was overwhelmed. They could never afford something like a wheelchair due to their undocumented status in Thailand, which prohibits them from earning a living. Without mobility, she would not only have to carry Ta home from the hospital, but also to a clinic for daily wound dressing.

Thankfully, Ta received a new GEN_2 wheelchair to help her experience greater independence.

With the new wheelchair, Ta’s mother could easily push her home from the hospital and take her to get her wounds dressed. Ta could also resume going to school.

Ta and her mother expressed deep gratitude for this gift.

A Second Chance

José, a spirited 24-year-old, lives in Costa Rica with his mother and seven siblings.

On a seemingly ordinary day in 2021, tragedy struck. As José was on his way to work, a traffic accident nearly claimed his life. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors fought to save him. The accident resulted in the loss of his left arm, and José faced a grueling recovery process that lasted over four months.

Just as it seemed he was turning a corner, he received devastating news: a bacterial infection necessitated the amputation of his left leg. José was now without both limbs on his left side.

José grappled with the physical and emotional toll of his injuries, but his spirit remained unbroken on his journey to recovery. Determined to adapt to his new reality, he faced each day with courage.

Unable to afford a wheelchair, José’s family were recipients of a new GEN_2 wheelchair, through Free Wheelchair Mission, providing José with a means to regain his independence.

Now, José can navigate his surroundings with newfound ease, reducing his dependency on his mother and siblings. He expressed deep appreciation for the gift that allows him to embrace life once more, grateful for the second chance mobility has given him.

Eugene’s Story

Earlier this spring, a team embarked on a vision trip to Kenya to distribute wheelchairs. Over the course of three days, they gave away 53 new wheelchairs to people with disabilities, including a young man named Eugene who was carried to a distribution event by his mother.

Eugene has cerebral palsy. He cannot sit upright without assistance because of spastic muscle movement, but w​​​​​henever he was laid down, he seemed very uncomfortable and would cry.

Only when he was sitting up, held tightly by his mother to keep him from falling and getting hurt, would the crying stop.

His mother would hold onto Eugene constantly throughout the day, whether she was carrying him or helping him sit up. She looked exhausted. But everything was about to change for Eugene and his mother.

“The first time he was put into his new wheelchair,” recalls vision trip team member Rick Carson, “he calmed down and actually sat still.”

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