Abigail's Story
Total Assistance: $7,500
“It is very difficult to take care of a non-ambulatory child who has chronic pain issues. We don't like to see her stuck in bed when she is feeling okay just because I'm waiting for her dad to get home from work, or waiting for a home nurse to show up at our house."
Abigail’s 10-year-old daughter, Raelynn, is completely non-ambulatory. Unable to sit up or even roll over on her own she depends on her parents for all mobility. The family has in-home nursing, but nurses aren’t allowed to lift patients over 50 pounds, and therefore every time Raelynn needs to get out of bed a two-person transfer is required. And while Raelynn has been approved for 80 hours of nursing care, only 20 hours have been able to be filled due to the nursing shortage.
Abigail is currently in nursing school herself so that she’ll be able to better assist her daughter. But Abigail needs to be especially careful with her lifting, as she had a surgery two years ago and has been told to avoid heavy lifting as much as possible.
A ceiling lift would allow Raelynn to be transferred from her bed to her wheelchair when only one person is there to care for her. With this device Abigail would even be able to get Raelynn into that bathtub on her own—making mobility so much easier for everyone. We’re happy that with your support we’ve been able to provide the accessibility equipment to make this possible.
How we helped Abigail
Ceiling lift