A second state-of-the-art power wheelchair, worth $17,416, has been ordered for the Rehabilitation Unit at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) thanks to a grant from The Honda Foundation.
This vital equipment will significantly enhance the quality of care and mobility options available to patients undergoing rehabilitation.
Patient Kim Powers (pictured) has spent almost two years in SCUH after losing his mobility due to being struck down with Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
The 70-year-old spent eight months in the Intensive Care Unit before moving to the Rehabilitation Unit where he spends up to six hours a day in therapy.
“Basically, from there I was laying on my back, wondering what the hell was going on with my body and you hear so many things,” Kim says.
Watch Kim's video
“The doctors didn’t really know whether I was going to pull through. It was soul destroying.
“Everyone who is independent, they never think they will end up in a wheelchair. Neither did I. But when it hit me (the loss of mobility), gee it was bad.”
He is rallying the community to give to Wishlist in the hopes of funding one more power wheelchair and three manual wheelchairs to allow greater independence to long-stay patients.
“By using a powered wheelchair, it took the sharpness off my brain. I feel like now, life is ahead of me.”
Sunshine Coast Health Senior Physiotherapist Jonathan Vine says: “Patients can spend more quality time with their families without relying on them as that source of mobility.”
The power wheelchair was generously funded by The Honda Foundation.
"We are very proud to be able to donate to charities like Wishlist, as it gives us peace of mind that the foundation is doing good in the world, and our donations are being used to help benefit the lives of those across Australia," a spokesperson from The Honda Foundation said.
