wilfredo.guerrero v2.1 - lickystickypickyme: For decades, Richard St....

My life. As simple as that.

Mi vida. Tan sencillo como eso.

Apr
30th

Sat

lickystickypickyme:

For decades, Richard St. Denis has advocated for the rights of Americans who, like him, are living with a disability.But the attorney from Colorado saw his life shift in 1997, when he was invited to speak in Mexico.
“I was asked to bring one wheelchair to give to somebody,” he remembers. “As I was waiting for the program to begin, I was shocked to see people using branches for crutches, being pushed in wheelbarrows and crawling.”
The lone wheelchair went to Leti Elizale Marcial, a 17-year-old suffering from polio. She had never walked a day in her life, and she was carried around daily by her mother. “I saw how happy she was, but I looked around and saw the other people that had nothing,” St. Denis said. “Their life was going to be exactly the same, and one wheelchair was not enough. I just felt someone had to come and help.”
So once a year from 1997 until 2004, St. Denis would load a van with 10 to 15 donated wheelchairs and drive 30 hours — from Colorado to Mexico — to distribute them to people with disabilities.
Now, he has a permanent residence in the country and a nonprofit, World Access Project, that provides custom-fit wheelchairs, walkers and canes to people in rural Mexican communities.
“We want to distribute the more than 75,000 wheelchairs we estimate get thrown away in the U.S. every year,” said St. Denis, 56. “What we call our trash becomes their riches, and it makes an incredible difference in their lives.”
St. Denis’ group also began purchasing mobility equipment from a company in Mexico that makes wheelchairs designed for use on the country’s rough terrain.
“Before it, I didn’t know anyone; I was in the house,” said Marcial, who is now 32. “After I got my chair, it was like I was born again. I went out, and I got to know other people with disabilities when I’d thought I was the only one. I also started working, and I have my own house now. I’m married, and my 2-year-old girl thinks of Richard like a grandfather. I really am thankful for all of his support.”
The mission of World Access Project goes beyond a one-time gift.
“We don’t just give them a wheelchair and say, ‘Adios,’ ” St. Denis said. “We develop relationships, and we teach people how to use the chair — not just as something to sit in. Volunteers from the United States come down a few times a year to help make the recipients’ homes more wheelchair-accessible, and we host classes and camps to teach people how to play sports with their chairs.”

For decades, Richard St. Denis has advocated for the rights of Americans who, like him, are living with a disability.But the attorney from Colorado saw his life shift in 1997, when he was invited to speak in Mexico.

“I was asked to bring one wheelchair to give to somebody,” he remembers. “As I was waiting for the program to begin, I was shocked to see people using branches for crutches, being pushed in wheelbarrows and crawling.”

The lone wheelchair went to Leti Elizale Marcial, a 17-year-old suffering from polio. She had never walked a day in her life, and she was carried around daily by her mother. “I saw how happy she was, but I looked around and saw the other people that had nothing,” St. Denis said. “Their life was going to be exactly the same, and one wheelchair was not enough. I just felt someone had to come and help.”

So once a year from 1997 until 2004, St. Denis would load a van with 10 to 15 donated wheelchairs and drive 30 hours — from Colorado to Mexico — to distribute them to people with disabilities.

Now, he has a permanent residence in the country and a nonprofit, World Access Project, that provides custom-fit wheelchairs, walkers and canes to people in rural Mexican communities.

“We want to distribute the more than 75,000 wheelchairs we estimate get thrown away in the U.S. every year,” said St. Denis, 56. “What we call our trash becomes their riches, and it makes an incredible difference in their lives.”

St. Denis’ group also began purchasing mobility equipment from a company in Mexico that makes wheelchairs designed for use on the country’s rough terrain.

“Before it, I didn’t know anyone; I was in the house,” said Marcial, who is now 32. “After I got my chair, it was like I was born again. I went out, and I got to know other people with disabilities when I’d thought I was the only one. I also started working, and I have my own house now. I’m married, and my 2-year-old girl thinks of Richard like a grandfather. I really am thankful for all of his support.”

The mission of World Access Project goes beyond a one-time gift.

“We don’t just give them a wheelchair and say, ‘Adios,’ ” St. Denis said. “We develop relationships, and we teach people how to use the chair — not just as something to sit in. Volunteers from the United States come down a few times a year to help make the recipients’ homes more wheelchair-accessible, and we host classes and camps to teach people how to play sports with their chairs.”

(via lickypickystickyfree)

Comments (View)