We got a call last night from Numotion, the company handling Namine’s equipment. They were due to deliver the new wheelchair and walker this morning, but there was a delay; they called to say that they wouldn’t be on time, but that we would still get the equipment some time today.
As it turned out, the delay wasn’t too bad; they were only late by a hour or so. And when they did arrive, Namine was so excited to finally have a real upgrade. Her old wheelchair has been elongated so much that its center of gravity is way off, making it more difficult for her to push herself.
Namine wasn’t about to waste any time in trying out her new wheelchair. She took it for a spin outside on the sidewalk, a great big smile on her face all the while. Not only was the chair’s center of gravity well-balanced, it also sports larger wheels and better tread. Namine can now wheel herself faster, and even on rough terrain like grass and gravel. Her chair moves with her, instead of fighting against her.
As any special needs caregiver knows, equipment and vehicles are an arms race. The more equipment you need, the larger vehicle you need to transport it. We’ve been fortunate with Namine’s decannulation and subsequent loss of medical equipment, but we knew the day would come when she’d need a larger wheelchair.
To that end, when we sold our four-door sedan, we opted to lease an SUV instead of buy. And it was a good thing we did, because now, in our second lease, we have an even (slightly) larger SUV. The new wheelchair fits nicely.
Unfortunately, it’s not all good news. Namine was also supposed to receive her new walker, but they ordered the wrong size; they delivered an extra large instead of a medium, so Namine can’t use it. The correctly sized walker should arrive in a couple weeks.
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