From our Therapist…
Catherine is an active, independent young lady who loves to travel and explore with her family and friends. She has a diagnosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bone Disease) and requires a lightweight active manual wheelchair for her mobility. As a result of her condition Catherine also needs her chair to provide her with a softer, more cushioned ride to reduce the risk of damaging her bones.
Catherine initially approached her NHS Wheelchair Service but they were unable to provide her with a chair that met her needs. However, she was fortunate to meet our clinician, Steve, who signposted her to Adaptiv Sports and used her Personal Wheelchair Budget (PWB) and charitable funding towards a chair that would be more appropriate for her.
Steve spent time working with Catherine to find the right solution for her and after comprehensive assessment she was provided with a TiLite TR lightweight titanium chair with LoopWheels and a Freewheel attachment to provide a softer ride and a Smart Drive power assist device to help her to remain independent when going up those hills. Catherine is now looking forward to her next city break!
Catherine’s Feedback!
It is honestly hard to explain how much gratitude I feel for my new wheelchair, or how much I want other wheelchair users to feel this way too. Trying to explain how a new wheelchair makes you feel is like trying to explain what it feels like to fall in love, so please excuse me if I get a little poetic. This wheelchair makes me feel free. This wheelchair makes me feel empowered to go further, do more, go on adventures, explore side streets and new paths, and for the first time in longer than I care to admit, it feels like my life is getting bigger and not smaller, as though my horizons are expanding.
‘Working with the team at Adaptiv Sports was a true joy, and the results have been beyond my wildest dreams. I feel truly empowered, and I cannot wait to see what fresh adventures are just around the next corner.’
The first step to me feeling really “empowered” by my new wheelchair came before I even selected the make and model – it was when I met Steve. My wife remarked on how I visibly relaxed when Steve entered the room, and it’s true that having a fellow wheelchair user help you select your new chair, fit you for it, and walk you through the options, is a privilege I wish more people had access to. I felt truly in control of what I wanted and needed, and did not feel like I had to explain or justify myself. Gaining input and insights from someone with knowledge and real life lived experiences was amazing. Steve answered all of my questions, and posed some I hadn’t thought to ask. My old chair had lasted me nearly 10 years, and my aim was to order a new chair that would last another ten years, enable me to have more freedom, and reduce the pain and fatigue that I felt while wheeling ion my old chair. Working with Steve was a real pleasure, and I would not hesitate to recommend Adaptiv Sports to any wheelchair user looking to upgrade their chair and their quality of life!
The Specifics
To get into some specifics about some of the options I chose – my new chair is a TiLite TR. It is made of titanium, which means that there is inbuilt vibration-reduction. This means my feet don’t go numb if I travel over uneven terrain, it means my back hurts less, it cushions me when I go up or down a curb or bump, and of course it is lightweight and strong. The wheels are Loopwheel Extremes, which have carbon-fibre suspension inbuilt into them, and again this really helps to reduce back pain and cushion impacts. Jumping off even a high curb with the Loopwheels feels comfortable, and feels far more “stable” and safe. Even when not wheeling and just sitting in the chair, the Loopwheels improve my comfort levels – I didn’t actually believe that a different type of wheel could make much of a difference until I tried Loopwheels.. The mountain bike tyres give me better grip, especially on mud grass and gravel.
