WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) - Shawn Thomas has a new lease on life today. Linda Cox is smiling a little broader today, too.
Both Wheeling residents are the recent recipients of new state-of-the-art electric wheelchairs thanks to the efforts Heart2Heart Volunteers Inc., headed by Sharon Travis of Wheeling.
Thomas and Cox are residents of Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital and Geriatric Center in Wheeling. Thomas, a paraplegic, has been making progress in his rehabilitation. He said he has a whole new attitude since receiving a chair that now provides him with mobility he did not have prior to receiving this generous gift.
“This has changed my life. I have a new perspective. I’m able to see and do things out in the world,” Thomas said.
Cox, a retired Woodsdale Elementary School teacher, has been at Peterson for over a year. She suffers from nerve damage on one side that makes it impossible for her to stand on her own or walk. She said the wheelchair is a lifeline to a better existence.
“I have so much more mobility and independence,” Cox said. “You don’t know how much it can change a person’s life.”
Travis and Heart2Heart volunteers have been working with Peterson for a few years, visiting patients and tending to the needs of others. She said her organization applied for a Quality of Life grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation last August. On top of receiving the grant to pay for one wheelchair, a second wheelchair was gifted, as well.
“Heart2Heart Volunteers Inc. is truly honored to be recipient of the Reeve Foundation Quality of Life grant. We share the same vision to help improve the day-to-day quality of life for individuals living with disabilities. We are so thankful we have been given this opportunity.”
Dave McGraw, rehab specialist with Pride Mobility Corp. in Exeter, Pa., was on hand to present the Quantum wheelchairs.
He said the Quantum is the company’s flagship chair that allows the user to raise the chair to allow for eye-level conversations, reducing strain and stress on the user’s neck.
Heart2Heart Volunteers Inc. is a nonprofit, Christian faith-based organization whose volunteers are dedicated to visiting the sick, disabled and elderly. Volunteers are always welcome by contacting Sharon Travis at 304-281-0474.
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Information from: The Intelligencer, https://www.theintelligencer.net
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