This story comes from Steven and Grace of FEDES in Chile:

Alejandro was abandoned by his family in the streets of Santiago when he was 3 years old. The police picked him up and took him to an institution for disabled children. He was born with meningitis and has been disabled all his life. Years later his father felt bad about dumping him into the streets and found him and took him back into his home. A bit later his father became an alcoholic, and Alejandro was back on the streets at the age of 18. He started begging and selling anything he could at a small fair close by so that he could survive, sometimes crawling to get to places and sometimes with a borrowed wheelchair that was old and broken. He developed pressure sores and they became infected. He was very sick. A social worker learned about him and called us explaining his testimony. By a miracle she got Alejandro into a hospital for treatment, the only place in Santiago where they take in adults that are physically disabled. She asked if we could visit him and also bring him a wheelchair.

Alejandro is now 30 years old. We were amazed by his beautiful spirit. Even though his life has been so lonely and sad he was so happy that the Lord picked him up - that he meet good people who help him, sometimes feed him and wash his clothes, etc., and even in their own poverty went out of their way to help him. He was so positive and encouraging and that was amazing, a real example to us. He was so thankful that the Lord heard his desperate prayers and supplied him a wheelchair. He sends his thanks to Free Wheelchair Mission and all of you!

Another amazing thing that happened is that this institution for disabled adults has learned that since the seat of our wheelchair is made of plastic, Alejandro is able to take a shower with no problem. We will provide them with many more wheelchairs, thanks to you!

This story comes from our good friend and retired LA policeman, Al, who gets these wheelchairs to the Missionaries of the Poor. This organization operates centers that house over 300 people who have been abandoned on the streets of Kingston, Jamaica and left there to die. They also provide food, housing, and medical care for the poor who live in the surrounding community.

Two years ago, during a previous Free Wheelchair Mission distribution, Edgar was a grateful wheelchair recipient. At that time he had been recovering from being struck by a bus, which resulted in the loss of his right leg. He had been abandoned by his family and friends and left on the streets to beg and fend for himself. He was desperate and dependent upon strangers to help. The future was looking pretty bleak for Edgar.

Two years later at the age of 80, Edgar has a new outlook on life! Because of his new mobility, he is capable of obtaining food and clothing at the Missionaries of the Poor mission outreach each week. He was able to find a place to stay and share in the responsibilities of the house. He says that he has new friends and thinks life is pretty good considering all that he has been through. Best of all, he does not have to crawl around the streets begging any more. Edgar said that he had no idea how much the wheelchair would change his life. He regularly attends church services and has a renewed faith in God. Edgar was happy to hear that Free Wheelchair Mission was distributing more wheelchairs to the destitute and handicap people in the ghetto.

As Edgar expertly maneuvered his wheelchair back on to the street and headed for home, we all had the same thought…this is exactly what Free Wheelchair Mission stands for, transforming lives!

Don and Sunan Willcox started the Foundation to Encourage Disabled Persons, part of the Chiang Mai Disabled Center in Thailand. Since 1994, they have been providing wheelchairs and accessories to the poor in Thailand. Below is a letter from them:

Your wheelchairs arrived and were safely unloaded yesterday.Whew! That was a long day. We hired 6 men and a fork lift to unload the container, but all went well, other than sore muscles.

As you are aware, we do not give wheelchairs away indiscriminately. Each potential recipient is visited at home by our therapist and assistant covering 6 Provinces of rural and mountainous north Thailand. This is done in order to verify need, review terrain, family circumstances, evaluate the disability and eventually provide proper mobility support and training, including our self-help wheelchair user manual. None of this can be done fast, especially since we have limited staff and limited funds. We will do our very best. We are a disabled facility that understands the loss of mobility personally. We are not an assembly line of distribution.

I am positively impressed! Yesterday was our first experience to actually see your wheelchair complete and first hand. There is thoughtfulness within your design that clearly makes your wheelchairs unique, in our experience. Including the pump, the safety harness, and the tool kit makes it very clear that you understand the conditions of developing countries and are not just about collecting and distributing western-made mobility aids.

For us, your wheelchairs are open-minded enough in design that we will easily be able to adapt them to individual needs. For example: extending a foot rest for a spastic cerebral palsy survivor, padding the seat sides for a paraplegic, or adding a head/neck support for someone who suffers from loss of head control allows us to fit each wheelchair specifically to the need. In other words, although your chairs were produced at a lower individual cost, they demonstrate a well-planned concern to provide real people with real developing-world mobility. Thank you to all. We have already contacted two Burmese refugee camps along the Thai/Burma border offering your chairs to land mine victims. So let's see what happens. Thanks again and warm regards.

This story comes from George Hage and his team from Boise. They met Ester during their last mission trip to Uganda this past summer.

Ester looked beautiful that day, her tender smile, her reserved, but kind-hearted glances, her lovely dress. We knew that dress was not her typical attire. It would make it very difficult for her to crawl – her usual form of mobility. It would soon become torn and soiled. Ester has polio. She had crawled on the ground almost all her life. She would spend her days taking care of her 4 children, washing clothes in a bucket, cooking on the ground and cleaning her dirt floor hut. She admits to the pain in her hands, her wrists and her arms from lifting her body all day long. The only time she really left her home was on special occasions where she rode on the back of her husband's bicycle.

Ester and her husband were one of the first to arrive at the wheelchair distribution site in the Kumi District of northern Uganda. 

It was a 3 hour bike ride. After the speeches were finished, the wheelchairs had all been handed out, and the prayers and well wishes were fading and it was time for us to leave, we noticed Ester sitting by herself in the dirt, smiling away. 

Her husband had packed her new wheelchair on the back of his bicycle and left to bring it home – a 3 hour return journey. He would then travel back another 3 hours to pick her up and carry her back home on the back of his bicycle and complete the final 3 hour journey. The entire time spent traveling on the bicycle that day was 12 hours!

It was a long day for Ester and her husband, but she was delighted. Having spent most of her life on the ground, sitting there a few more hours to get her ticket to mobility, independence and freedom was no burden. Ester just sat there quietly and smiled.

Susan Shaw is our wheelchair ambassador to Fiji, and driven by her passion, we have provided 2750 wheelchairs to that country. This is a story she wrote on her last mission there:

Fiji is not the easiest country for wheelchair distribution. With over 300 islands and mostly village dwellers with no transportation, we must travel to the recipients to deliver the chairs. They cannot make it to us.

On our last trip, we had a special trip planned to go deep into the interior of the island to deliver chairs to a village beside a river. We loaded 7 wheelchairs on the truck and traveled 3 1/2 hrs. into the mountains. The only way to visit the village is to walk across the river. I could tell this Fijian village was clearly poor. The river provided these people their water for drinking and cleaning. The clothing hanging on the lines were tattered and very old.

We were delivering a couple of wheelchairs when some boys approached us telling us that there was a young man in one of the houses. We walked inside, and after a few minutes, some men emerged from behind a dark curtain carrying Josefa, a young man in his 20's. He was bent over 90 degrees and clearly unable to stand. He wasn't expecting us, and as we took him outside, we learned that he had crippling arthritis. He covered his rottinghands with his shirt so we couldn't see his disfigurement. He was extremely articulate - educated in the capital city with much promise for his future. Lacking funds and proper medical care, this was his prison.

How many other worthy children of God are hiding behind dark curtains? It is my hope, that through the efforts of myself, our heroes in Fiji and the generosity of donors to the Free Wheelchair Mission, that we will bring them out of their darkness into the light. Their gift is not only the wheelchair, but, the gift of love that they receive from strangers – from us, from far far away. The reward is huge for all.

With Valentine's Day coming next Thursday, we want to share this story, and offer you a great alternative to coming up with a meaningful gift. Ours is love beyond measure (see below). This story comes from one of our mission teams visiting Chile.

We delivered a wheelchair to the woman and she asked us to please take her outside as soon as possible.The man across the street had also received a Free Wheelchair Mission wheelchair a few months ago.When he saw us outside with the woman, he wheeled himself over to meet her for the first time. They were so happy to be with each other, we all felt that it was a love affair about to begin. We have not been back to see them, but I can't help but wonder if they go on evening wheelchair strolls sharing stories and laughter.

What we offer you is a unique Valentine gift. In honor of that person you love, how about donating a wheelchair in his or her name so that someone in a developing country can gain mobility and find their true love? We have a special Valentine card that explains this donation. Please visit our website to view the card. You can insert a short personalized message on the inside, and we’ll send the card to your valentine!

Ines wrote this story while on a mission trip with Mariners Church:

We were sticky and sweaty from walking from house to house, delivering mosquito nets on a hot and humid day in Gaba, Uganda. Children, dogs, and even the chickens stared at us wondering what the “muzungus” or “white people” were up to. 

Nankya invited us into her small concrete home with a neatly swept dirt floor. During conversation, Nankya told us that she had a daughter who is disabled. She graciously accepted the mosquito net and listened intently as we explained how important it is for her family that she utilizes the net. But all our minds were on her little girl. As soon as we finished the instructions, we asked her to take us to her daughter, Tina.

We discovered Tina sitting on a makeshift highchair. She is so small for her age and so weak, I couldn’t help but reach to touch her small limbs. As I rubbed her shinny and skinny legs, Tina smiled and locked eyes with me. How can I express the emotion that struck my heart? A warm feeling covered my chest and my breath was taken away with hers.

We informed Nankya that a free wheelchair would be available for Tina the next day at Gaba Church’s first wheelchair distribution. Her mother looked at us with doubt in her eyes. Had we not just given her a mosquito net, I think she would have not believed us! We gave her all of the information about the next day’s agenda and left wondering if she would in fact come.

The next day, Nankya had gotten up early with Tina to make her way to the Church. Tina was dressed in a beautiful dress for this special day. We were elated to see them! We were also quite surprised when we noticed she had brought along her neighbor whose daughter also needed a wheelchair. They were registered immediately and as soon as the distribution started, each of the girls received their long awaited wheelchair. The two mothers couldn’t have been happier!

Nanyka does not know what is wrong with her daughter. She has never been diagnosed. However, she does know that God loves her and has taken care of her most pressing needs - a mosquito net to protect her family from malaria and a wheelchair to give her daughter mobility. For these two things she is forever grateful!

This story comes from our good friend Al who is a passionate volunteer:

In Kingston, Jamaica, the gift of wheelchairs has made a remarkable difference in the care provided by the priests and brothers at the center called "Missionaries of the Poor." The brothers house over 300 people who have been abandoned on the streets of Kingston and left there to die. Before they had the wheelchairs, the brothers had to lift and carry the non-ambulatory "residents" from bed to bath to dining areas. The residents are now happier then ever as they enjoy more time outside in the fresh air and participate in simple activities rather than being confined to their beds. The brothers have also gain relief from the back pain they used to endure due to the constant lifting of the residents. The wheelchairs have made a world of difference – both with the giver and the receiver.

Free Wheelchair Mission's motto is "Transforming lives through the gift of mobility". In this particular story, two lives have been changed because of one wheelchair! The story is about two little orphans, Anthony and Romario, also referred to as "the Dynamic Duo." Anthony has a clubfoot and cannot walk without help. Romario was born with CP and cannot stand or walk on his own. Before they received their wheelchair, the boys spent most of their days lying in cribs or crawling on the floor. With the gift of ONE wheelchair, they both have received the gift of mobility. Anthony uses the wheelchair for support (in the same way one would use a walker) while Romario gets the benefit of sitting up and being pushed around the facility.

As the "Dynamic Duo" maneuver about the center, they laugh and interact with the other children. Their smiles are contagious.Thank you FWM, you have made two little boys very happy!

To date, we have shipped 14,525 wheelchairs to US military forces in Iraq. When we started this program, they estimated that Iraq needs about 500,000 wheelchairs. This update just came to us this week from US Army Captain Colin J. McElroy, Civil Affairs advisor for the 3rd Iraqi Army Division (IA) stationed in Al Kasik, Iraq.

There is a subtle statement in Captain Colin’s message below that deserves mention. Imagine how well appreciated care packages from home are to our soldiers in Iraq. Note the sacrifice Captain Colin’s Civil Affairs team is making, giving up their care packages to help bond trust and cooperation! That is commendable!

The 100 wheelchairs that you sent us were such a success, that we have pretty much exhausted the supply in just a few weeks. I can't stress enough, how much they improve operations in our area. After we delivered 10 wheelchairs to one location, insurgents immediately moved in to do their own damage control and try to re-influence the population. We finally have the enemy reacting to our actions instead of us reacting to them.

I would like to ask if you can begin to send other shipments this way, as the Iraqi Army here is making great progress in civil affairs operations and it is having a drastic effect on the enemy. Your wheelchairs are a huge success. 

Your organization and Operation Iraqi Children are the first organizations to send items our way. Up until just recently, my fellow advisors and I were relying solely on care packages from friends and family to assist with our civil affairs efforts. The donations that you sent are crucial in our continued success. Your wheelchairs have been the biggest hit so far and it seems that every village we meet is in desperate need. Additionally, for the Iraqi Army to hand out such nice wheelchairs is also extremely impressive to the Iraqi people and assists us with fostering cooperation between the villagers and the Iraqi Army.

Most of the time our stories are about how you help us serve people in developing countries. We serve many others in many ways, and today I want to focus your attention on someone we need to serve, with prayer, in our own country. Her name is Laurie Lynn and she lives in Chicago. She is a supporter and a mission trip traveler (Viet Nam). She is now busy organizing a very large fund raising event for our Mobility in Motion campaign in Chicago on May 9. 

Laurie Lynn was just diagnosed with breast cancer. She faces surgery, radiation, and possibly chemotherapy. We wanted to postpone her May 9 event, but she insisted on going ahead. “This event is the best medicine I could have,” was her reply. 

Our Friday Story goes out to about 7,000 readers directly and we know many of our readers send it to their own distribution list. It goes to our wheelchair distribution partners in 75 countries. Many are networked into 1000’s of churches in their own nations, and many will extend this prayer request. When I told Laurie Lynn that hundreds of thousands of people all over the world will pray for her and her family, this was her reply: “Don, I don't know what to say. I am so touched by this gesture of kindness. Words won't fully express how appreciative I am. I would be so honored and comforted.”

Prayer work in many ways we can never understand, but one way is easy to see. Just by knowing it is happening is comforting Laurie Lynn and helping her family face the road ahead. If you would, please pray for them, that through this battle they find strength and peace.

Francis from Uganda sent us this story. Francis himself is in a wheelchair, and is also one of our distribution partners in Uganda. We hope to have him as our guest speaker at our Magic of Mobility event coming this July 22.

My name is Jennifer. I am married with 6 children and I am 22 years old. When I was young, I had polio and it caused my legs to weaken. I had never used a wheelchair in my life until today. I learned how to tie my babies on my back and crawl to any place. I had a hard time doing that because the stones scratch my knees and hands and cause wounds. On the days when it was muddy I would still crawl in the mud. I am so happy that I have received a wheelchair because I now do not have to worry about the stones and rainy seasons. This will save my legs. This wheelchair will also help me go to church. I want to thank you all very much for the wheelchair. God Bless you. 

Our own Poet Laureate Pastor Greg Asimakoupoulos of Mercer Island, WA offers this message:

Joy Begins with Chair-ity

The joy of living isn't found in simply pleasing ME
It tends to be discovered when we offer chair-ity.

A couple wheels is all it takes to give a person hope.
And hope that has a place to sit means crippled kids can cope.

A chair with wheels can bear the weight of those bowed down with care.
It doesn't take a miracle. Just two wheels and a chair.

A wheelchair makes the difference when it comes to dignity.
That's why we can't help smiling when we offer chair-ity.

This story comes from Bluff City, Tennessee.

The Bluff City Dinner Diners Club started just 3 years ago. A lonely widow had lost her husband just a short time before and had been eating alone on Friday nights. She decided food and a good conversation go a long way, so she asked her neighbor to join her. This one night led to many more Friday night dinners. Each person began talking to one of their friends, and in just a short time our club has 11 women and 1 gentleman, known as “King.”.

We began to exchange gifts for each person’s birthday. We set a $5.00 limit per person (not much you can buy for $5.00). We are all seniors and quite honestly we didn’t need anymore “stuff”.

A member of our group told us of her daughter’s passion and affiliation with an organization in California called “Free Wheelchair Mission”. We went to their website and were moved to what this organization was doing for a small investment of $48.35. After seeing what other donors around the country were doing, our club decided that each month we would take our “birthday money” and buy wheelchairs for the disabled poor around the world. Our whole club got so excited that our small donation could make a difference and help others that have so little. Year to date our club has bought 45 wheelchairs!

We are still eating at different restaurants each Friday. We are helping the local restaurants, growing great friendships, and best of all helping those who cannot walk - through the Free Wheelchair Mission. Won’t you start a group of your own?

Some of you already know the wonderful honor we received this past Tuesday. For those who don't, we were given the Above and Beyond Citizen Medal by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. This happened in Arlington Cemetery in front of the Tomb of the Unknowns. Thirty four of the 105 living Congressional Medal of Honor recipients were present, along with the Honorable Colin Powell and NBC news anchorman Brian Williams. 

(Matt Miller from Minneapolis, Don, and Jencie Fagan from Reno with many of the Congressional Medal of Honor “Giants”)

Feelings that day reminded me of the first time I visited Sequoia National Park, and got to walk around those giant stately trees. Those 34 recipients are giants in the incredible bravery they have shown in the line of duty defending our country.

I want to share the brief speech I gave during the ceremony in Arlington:

Thank you, Congressional Medal of Honor Society, for this fantastic award! About 10 years ago we learned a sad fact: 100 million people in developing countries need wheelchairs. Polio, birth defects, accidents, land mines, disease have robbed them of their mobility. They crawl in the dirt, wait to be carried, or languish in the back room or shed, and often living in darkness.

Wheelchairs in this country are expensive, costing $1000 or more. But these 100 million are the poorest of the poor, with barely enough to keep themselves alive. So, we developed this durable and functional wheelchair we can make and deliver for $48.35. They are delivered free of charge to the poor.

This country of ours is so blessed. Those in need in developing countries call out to us for mercy.They call out to us for compassion. Thousands of Americans have come to our organization, the Free Wheelchair Mission, to answer that call. They give their time, their talents and their treasure, and together we have provided over 315,000 wheelchairs to date. They are our heroes, they are America’s heroes, and I am pleased to accept this Medal of Honor on their behalf.