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My Mom, Ellen Marotta, born in 1942 has had Multiple Sclerosis for over 41 years and for over 30 of those years she has been confined to a wheelchair. This debilitating illness has robbed my mother of use of her arms, legs and voice. She also requires 24 hour oxygen. Despite this disease, my mom, has always been an “on- the- go” person, never skipping a milestone or event in our families’ lives. With the help of her motorized wheelchair, she rarely misses a beat! For these 30 plus years, we have been fortunate to have her health insurance maintain the motorized chairs. Her current chair is 15 years old; when we contacted the company to fix the chair, they informed us that the parts are no longer available; due to the age of the chair. Like any mechanical device the chairs wear out and have a useful life. We were told that she needed to purchase a new chair.
A new chair, like she’s had, is $32,000. In the past, she was able to get some assistance from insurance to help keep her on the move. Unfortunately, now that she is a resident of a nursing facility, insurance will NOT cover this cost to replace her chair. HOW do you take 30 years of having freedom to move around, and say NO – sorry too bad. After endless calls, I was able to negotiate for Mom the purchase of a used chair. Great! Except she does not have the money to purchase it. In 2019, when my father passed away from stage IV pancreatic cancer, my mom’s heath also declined as well and she required round the clock care from a nursing facility. As a resident of the facility, my mom, has been scooting around in her motorized chair for the last 4 years as this is her only mode of freedom.
We are asking for help to pay for this loaner chair and the maintenance of it. The wheelchair company wants payment by May 15, 2023 and is not offering any warranty with the chair. So, if “anything” breaks or maintenance needs to be done, we again would have to pay out of pocket.
We can not express enough Gratitude for even taking the time to read my mom’s story. Many Thanks!!!!
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you for your support!
