REALIZING A DREAM FOR IMPROVED REHAB ACCESS
“I was at work when a 600-pound weight machine toppled over on top of me, injuring my spine at C-5/C-6. I was 24 at the time, she said. I remember in rehab crying in bed and telling my mother that ‘I was given a gift to help people heal using my hands. Now I’m paralyzed and I can’t physically help people in any way. So, what am I going to do now?’ My mother said `Natalie, you can’t change what happened, but you can change what you do going forward by trusting God’ And I found a purpose.”
Barnhard
quickly learned that she could still assist countless people. She started Wheels
with Wings, a nonprofit for other people with SCI/D. It awards quality of life
grants for wheelchairs, sports equipment, rehab, modifications to homes,
accessible vehicles and other items often not covered fully or at all by
insurance plans as well as focusing on advocacy and resources for those newly
injured.
“I saw the
need for funding wheelchairs, vehicles, shower chairs. How could anyone declare
a shower chair an unnecessary item?,” Barnhard added. “No medical necessity to
get clean? It’s appalling!
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