Recently the Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Center provided a powered wheelchair to Ethan Palowski, a young adult TBI survivor. Ethan and his family have been participating in activities at TBIRC for about 2 years. His family provided the following note about how he and the family have benefited from his increased mobility:
“We would like to thank the Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Center for donating a motorized wheelchair to Ethan. Prior to receiving the chair Ethan used a cane and walker to move around, which was fine around the house, but severely limited him when he wanted to go out to certain places or to just enjoy nice weather in our neighborhood.
The chair has been life-changing for Ethan, allowing him to feel more confident and comfortable in going places like The Toledo Zoo, Cedar Point, the mall, sporting events, as well as just giving him the freedom to enjoy a nice day cruising around the neighborhood and visiting with neighbors that he hasn’t been able to see for so long.
Ethan is very sociable and loves to be out and about, but before the chair he would get tired so quickly because of the effort involved and it would cause Ethan to avoid situations that would involve a ton of walking or moving around. His mood and attitude have changed so much now that he feels like he has the independence to do things that would have been so hard before.
Seeing the change in Ethan and experiencing the independence the chair gives him has been a blessing for us as well. Even just the freedom Ethan has to go along with us or his brothers on a walk around the block or to walk the dogs has made such a huge difference. We can’t thank the center enough for their generosity, the center truly has made a huge difference in our lives. Thank you again so much TBIRC!”
