Mobility Works

We purchased a new mobility van. Yes ANOTHER one! I know we just got one last year, but the ramp was manual and it has become difficult for me to raise and lower since I broke my back. Plus, I wanted Jamey in his wheelchair up front with me instead of by himself in back. I swore we'd never go through the excruciating process of buying another van, but necessity dictated! The process is challenging to say the least.

I'm not gray, I'm dark blue!

I took Jamey down to Mobility Works a couple of weeks ago, to try out several van configurations to be sure his chair would work. Since the closest MW to us in Sacramento it takes a good hour and a half to get there. We have a wonderful sales guy, Joe, who had everything set up for us before hand. Jamey tried 3 different vans. The VMI had the most room in it for easy turning (he needs to enter up a side ramp, turn the power chair in a tight circle, back up slightly, and drive into the front passenger's side, to be locked into place). But it had some issues that would cause problems down the road. The other two brands, Toyota and Dodge had comparable interiors but they each offered something different. After some discussion, we decided on the Dodge Grand Caravan. We have had those as conversions in the past and they have served us well.

Aside from the obvious wheelchair issue, it's more work for us to purchase a van than it is for the average person. First of all, I cannot do a test drive because I require hand controls to drive a vehicle. That makes it a bit of a crap shoot. In addition, once we decide on a van (a job in and of itself), we must mentally add to the price to have the hand controls installed. The installation takes about 5 hours (this time it took 7) because they take the controls out of our old van and install them into the new van. That saves us a little $.

Accommodations for the wheelchair are almost as complicated. If we decide we want to lock in Jamey the most secure way possible, we need to have an EZ-lock system put into the van.That takes about 3 hours and can't be done the same day as the hand controls. In addition, every power chair he owns (he has 2 currently) will have to have a special apparatus attached to the bottom, to catch the EZ--lock and snap it into place. That system is additional too.  We've opted to wait for the new power chair before installing it. Meanwhile, we will lock him into place with straps that attach to the floor. (Don't tell anyone he's into this bondage thing).They did take the EZ-lock out of our old van and gave it to us in case we want to put it in later. That will save us some money in the long run too. Always a good thing. 😉

So, the next step was to find a used van that had everything on it we needed. I also wanted something NOT WHITE. I know it seems like a silly request and shouldn't even be considered, but really, I'm just tired of white. The last two vans we've had have been white. Unfortunately, the converted van availability is 98% white, so Joe had some searching to do.

It didn't take him as long as we thought it would! So we are the proud new owners of a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan with everything automatic (that was the point after all). It was half the price of a new one ( the trade-in helped). Let's just say the quote for a new one was 6 figures. I saw that first quote and thought, 'Used is good. Yeah, let's go with used.' It's still an outrageous amount for a mini van, but when you're in this situation, you have to go with what works.

All in all, the process took us about 3 weeks, and several trips to Sacramento, but we survived (although Jamey as been asleep since we got back 5 days ago LOL). I will never go through the excruciating process of buying a van again.

I know...Never Say Never.

Go River Cats!

As most of you know (especially if you are Giant's fans) Sacramento's Raley Field hosts a Giant's farm team called the River Cats. Turns out the drive is about the same distance we drove to see the Giant's play at AT&T Park. The nice thing about Raley is that it's a lot more disabled-friendly, and holds fewer people. So, for those of us who have trouble walking in crowds, it's just right! Very much like Spring Training ballparks.

The church that Jamey's parents attend, gets group rates once a year, and we were able to join them this time around. Since the seats were in a reserved section, and differently-abled folks can sit in any open spot behind the first section of seats anywhere in the park, his parents were able to find us an opening right behind their church group! And it was a great view! Jamey just drove his chair into the empty space and I sat in the stadium seat right next to him.

It is fun to watch up-and-coming pro leaguers, along with some that have been to "The Bigs" and come back to AAA because the injured player they replaced got better. We saw lots of names we recognized; Trevor Brown, Conor Gillaspie, Mac Williamson, and Jae-Gyun Huang. The roster is filled with great prospects. In the end, we didn't win, but Mac hit a homer to put us ahead in the 8th. It wasn't enough but it sure got us going for a couple innings.

It's always difficult for us to do something new, especially where crowds are concerned, but we are glad his parents asked us to go. It was worth the time and energy. Looks like we can get our dose of baseball now and again without traveling all the way to Arizona!

Custom Power Chair!

We drove to Sacramento today so Jamey could be assessed for a new power chair, or so we hoped. I was sceptical because of all the hoops Kaiser makes us jump through on a regular basis. Also, I had called both Kaiser AND Medicare last year to ask if they would cover a new chair for him and they both issued an emphatic NO. So, we ended up buying our own chair out-of-pocket.

When the PT came to the house a few weeks ago, the first thing she said was, "That chair doesn't fit you right." She took info back to her supervisor and asked that they order him a custom chair. We knew that was going to get above the $10,000 dollar range, but I was willing if he could have a chair that would fit him properly.

Kaiser's PT needed to see the chair he was in and determine whether or not he should have a new one...and whether they would pay for it. I've been whining ever since I found out we had to go to Sacramento to get assessed, as I knew they wouldn't see it our way!

Long story short, my dinner will be crow tonight! They agreed he needed to be fit properly in a new chair and Kaiser and Medicare will take care of 80% of the cost! Woo Hoo!

They measured him (so many measurements!) and went through the entire chair specs to see what he wanted on the chair and how he wanted it installed.They will build his chair to his measurements from the bottom, up.

This chair is the Lexus of power chairs. Up till now all he's had have been Toyotas. This is what they call the highest rated chair, but it is a base model. The cool thing? As his disease changes they can add whatever is needed to the chair. Things like motorized reclining, raising and extending the footrest, joystick digital screen and easy move features. Instead of a single column holding his seat up (like his chair now), there are 4 columns; 1 on each corner. The chair also has a shock absorber system just like in cars. This is going to be one awesome chair! It also goes a lot faster than his current chair. No drifting, Jamey!

So, Kaiser has made a liar out of me, but I am happy to admit it. Jamey will finally be more comfortable. Since he's in the chair so much of the time now, this is a big deal for him. The negative part is that it will take 4 to 6 weeks to get here. 😞 But, knowing that it's coming is so exciting! Can't wait to send you a picture when it comes! right now you'll have to be satisfied with the one from the website. And by the way, don't go thinking you can get one, too. These take a prescription!

And oh, yes, the color? SF Giant's orange of course!!