Lives changed for the better

Florin

Florin is 25 years old and he started using a wheelchair one year ago, after a motorcycle accident. Being passionate with sports and optimistic, Florin works hard to be as active and independent as possible. He received a wheelchair from Motivation and he participated in an active rehabilitation program, which lasted for two weeks. During this program, he found out more about living with a spinal cord injury, about dealing with this new situation and accessing his rights. Since then, Florin has made great progress: he had his car adapted and now drives, his self confidence increased in terms of wheelchair handling and he plans to go back to practising sports. His wheelchair should keep up with Florin and this is why our colleagues replaced the equipment with a Panthera lightweight wheelchair. It is easier for Florin to handle it and to put it in the car.

Florin received a wheelchair through the Wheelchair Fund, with the support of our friends from Agape Foundation in Sweden, of our donors and the companies which support the initiative, in order to #changelives for the better, together!

Ruben

Ruben’s mother wrote us an e-mail in June, inspired by the story of another friend of Motivation – Alex. She told us that her son, aged 2 years and a half, needed a wheelchair. She described Ruben as “an active, lively child, with an impressive ambition”, who makes his parent very happy. Despite all these, it became difficult for his parents to provide support for their son, without an appropriate wheelchair. Their son no longer wanted to spend time in his bed or at his table; instead, he was eager to move around. Also, he grew and his mother was no longer able to carry him, especially because she was going to give birth again in September. So comes that our team in Iasi met Ruben, prescribed and donated a Panthera Micro active wheelchair for him. This brought joy to Ruben, as well as to his parents and little sister. Ruben is no longer sad that he cannot do things on his own. Instead, he enjoys his small victories every day.

Even though he is very young, Ruben is really good at wheelchair handling. He moves around inside the house, goes from one room to another, he can leave the house and go on the street and he handles the wheelchair by himself on his way to his grandparents, while his neighbors watch him with admiration. For Ruben, his wheelchair brought freedom and joy! Ruben received her wheelchair within the Wheelchair Fund Program, with the support of our friends from Agape Foundation in Sweden, of our donors and the companies which support the initiative, in order to #changelives for the better, together!

Andrei

Andrei is 9 years old and, with the support of the Motivation team from Galați, he received a Panthera wheelchair as a donation, to replace his old mobility equipment, which had become too small and inappropriate for his needs. Andrei’s mother says that in the absence of an adequate wheelchair, her son would not have been able to go to school, enjoy relaxing activities or explore his abilities. She describes their experience as follows: In our life experience, the wheelchair has meant and still means what  creating aricrafts has meant in history for those who wanted to fly, what building ships has has meant for those who wanted to explore seas and oceans: the broadening of the meanings of life, reaching the human potential and opening up to the unknown promise of our ideals.

Andrei received her wheelchair within the Wheelchair Fund Program, with the support of our friends from Agape Foundation in Sweden, of our donors and the companies which support the initiative, in order to #changelives for the better, together!

Antonia

Antonia is less than 2 years old and she is still discovering the world, at this age. With her Panthera Micro wheelchair, received from our colleagues from the Motivation team in Ilfov, it will be easier for her to explore, to grow up nice and to become independent. For her, this wheelchair seems a new toy, for now; a toy she does not get bored of,  because it helps her to learn something new each day.

Her parents encourage her to move around and to develop her abilities. They found out about Motivation from a rehabilitation center and from other parents. Understanding the importance of an appropriate wheelchair for Antonia’s size and needs, they got in touch with our team. A lightweight wheelchair is good for them too, when they have to help Antonia to overcome obstacles such as steep ramps and stairs.

Antonia received her wheelchair within the Wheelchair Fund Program, with the support of our friends from Agape Foundation in Sweden, of our donors and the companies which support the initiative, in order to #changelives for the better, together!

Alex Nicholas

Alex is one of Motivation’s youngest friends. He is 2 and a half years old and since March he has been using an appropriate wheelchair which increases his mobility. Our colleagues from the Bucharest-Ilfov team donated a Panthera Micro wheelchair, after they had conducted an assessment and had established the boy’s size and needs. Alex is full of energy and the wheelchair he has allows him to play more, explore and try new activities. He goes out with his mother to the park and plays, does puzzles, even dares to help his mother to clean the house, even he considers this to be some sort of a game. He enjoys so much the freedom of movement he has that he moves around in his wheelchair even while learning to count, with his mother’s support.

Alex received his wheelchair within the Wheelchair Fund Program, with the support of our friends from Agape Foundation in Sweden, of our donors and the companies which support the initiative, in order to #changelives for the better, together! Find our more about Alex here.

Darius

Darius is 7 years old and he lives in Bistrița Năsăud. He has recently became part of the group of active wheelchair users, who enjoy more freedom of movement, by using independently their mobility equipment. This was possible because he received an appropriate wheelchair – an active Panthera, which he can handle by himself, in order to play, move around and explore.

Darius was born with a condition that affects his spine and this is why he cannot walk. Before getting in touch with our colleagues at Motivation Cluj, he had no wheelchair at all. He was using a stroller. His mother and sister used to help him reach different places, they used to pull his wheelchair and he was totally depending on them for each movement. Everything changed for him once he got the wheelchair donated by Motivation, with the support of our friends from Agape Foundation in Sweden, of our donors and the companies which support the Wheelchair Fund, in order to #changelives for the better, together!

Irinuca

Irina was 1 year and 3 months old in December 2019, when our colleagues from the Motivation team in Prahova donated her a Panthera Micro – an appropriate wheelchair for her needs Irinuca’s parents are very grateful for the wheelchair and for the freedom of movement it gives to their daughter. Now, Irinuca is able to move around on her own, to play and to explore.

Her older brother is her guide in this journey – he encourages her and teaches her to handle the wheelchair. So comes that Irinuca cannot wait to go and play outdoors, in her courtyard and on the street, in the summer. Irina’s wheelchair will be replaced once she grows up and her needs change.

Irina received her wheelchair within the Wheelchair Fund Program, with the support of our friends from Agape Foundation in Sweden, of our donors and the companies which support the initiative, in order to #changelives for the better, together! Find our more about her story, here.

The Wheelchair Fund is possible with the support of our partners at Motivation: international and local organizations, companies, individual donors, fundraisers. Find out how to join us in order to spin the wheels of change together on our website, here.