A wheelchair for Dilan

Brenda Corie, physiotherapist with Dilan's mother.

Remember Dilan from Tanya Atallah's February 25th blog post? He was the 6 year old boy with cerebral palsy who had a triple tendon release last week. Because of the spasticity that is part of his CP, Dilan constantly leans forward. It is very difficult to straighten him up. His head needs support. His mother must feed him his meals - a time-consuming task for a busy mother of three.

CAMTA volunteers could see that life would be easier for Dilan and his family if he had the right wheelchair. Within a few hours today the group had collected $600 of their own money to order a chair designed especially for Dilan.

If you read last year's CAMTA blog, you might remember Augustin. We first met Augustin in Cuenca ten years ago when we helped him set up a rehabilitation centre for physiotherapy. Augustin is a paraplegic as a result of polio he contracted many years ago.

Recently, Augustin has set up a shop, Taller Protegida, in Quito where he makes wheelchairs and bicycles for handicapped people. Augustin has two volunteers who help him after school, and one paid employee. They have only one piece of power equipment in the shop - a machine that bends steel tubing. The rest of the work is done by hand. It should take about a week to design and manufacture Dilan's custom wheelchair.

$600 + one week = an easier life for a family in Ecuador.

Augustin's shop

Discussing the design. Brenda provided her insight into the correct design for Dilan.

Paying for the wheelchair.

Augustin shows off a frame for a special wheelchair.

Volunteers at work in the Taller.

Here's the assembly table where the welding happens.

This is what Dilan's chair will look like.

Outside the workshop. L to R: Dan Ducholke, Nelly, Sammy Ruiz, mother to Dilan and Brenda Corie.

Nelly is the Tierra Nueva social worker that helps CAMTA daily with our patients.