GRIT Freedom Chair for Carden
Donation protected
My name is Carden Olson, and I am a 24 year old student, starting my Masters in Social Work this fall. I was born 4 months early with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, leaving me with very stiff muscles in my legs and feet that result in chronic pain, difficulty walking, and balance troubles. As I’ve gotten older, the chronic pain has worsened exponentially-- but my desire for independence has increased with age, too. I’m asking for your help in getting a new wheelchair that can take me more places than ever before: called the GRIT Freedom Chair!
My current wheelchair is a medical one that is used in hospitals. However, it’s rusted from over 10 years of use (after initially buying it used from a garage sale in 2010), and definitely can’t hold on too much longer (You'll read more about that later!).
I’ll soon be receiving a mobility assistance dog with Can Do Canines, and it would mean the world to me to be able to bring my dog on long jogs for exercise in my wheelchair. See how I can do that with a Freedom Chair!
This chair will allow me to go on longer adventures with friends, and perhaps most importantly, navigate Minnesota winters unassisted. The biggest obstacle I have living in Minnesota is the winter snow and ice. Two winter season's ago, there was what seemed like over 12 inches of snowfall overnight. From my dorm room, I wasn’t able to physically make my way to classes on my feet, so I called for assistance from campus security -- but they weren’t even able to help me get to class without serious difficulty. When I have my Freedom Chair with me on campus this winter, I'll be free of worry about an inability to get around campus, and I'll be able to do so on my own!
See here how the GRIT Freedom Chair can help me get around in MinneSNOWta! :D
Another time I could have used the Freedom Chair was during study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark the summer of 2019. Copenhagen is famous for bicycling as the main mode of transportation-- but not so much for traditional wheelchairs! Just three weeks in, one front wheel SNAPPED! clean off from the wheelchair, and just like that was rendered unusable. Thankfully my friends were with me, and more than willing to carry my wheelchair a mile back to the train station. I, on the other hand, didn't get back easily. If I had a freedom chair with me that day, that would never have happened in the first place; the freedom chair is built to handle tough, rugged streets just as a bike can. Why? Because all moveable parts of the chair are made from mountain bike parts. I’ve discovered my love of travelling. This chair will bring that closer to my reality!
(Watch the Freedom Chair flawlessly ride down from a curbed sidewalk)
My first ride with my GRIT chair will be in my parents backyard, around the block with my dogs, and at the park where they’re building a new (accessible!!) playground (yes, I may be 24 but I’m still determined to experience it, haha!). After that, I want to take my chair into more public spaces, including Minnehaha Falls, one of my favorite places to go in the summer.
I truly need your help because I don’t have the financial security to afford a wheelchair on my own, and this particular wheelchair could really open up the world for me. Any help with making this investment for me is sincerely appreciated. In the event that I don’t have enough to purchase the Freedom Chair, I’ll use the money for the next best chair I can find.
If you'd like to donate in other ways, simply sharing this link would help spread the word!
My Venmo: @cardenlevi
Thank you all for your support. <3
My current wheelchair is a medical one that is used in hospitals. However, it’s rusted from over 10 years of use (after initially buying it used from a garage sale in 2010), and definitely can’t hold on too much longer (You'll read more about that later!).
I’ll soon be receiving a mobility assistance dog with Can Do Canines, and it would mean the world to me to be able to bring my dog on long jogs for exercise in my wheelchair. See how I can do that with a Freedom Chair!
This chair will allow me to go on longer adventures with friends, and perhaps most importantly, navigate Minnesota winters unassisted. The biggest obstacle I have living in Minnesota is the winter snow and ice. Two winter season's ago, there was what seemed like over 12 inches of snowfall overnight. From my dorm room, I wasn’t able to physically make my way to classes on my feet, so I called for assistance from campus security -- but they weren’t even able to help me get to class without serious difficulty. When I have my Freedom Chair with me on campus this winter, I'll be free of worry about an inability to get around campus, and I'll be able to do so on my own!
See here how the GRIT Freedom Chair can help me get around in MinneSNOWta! :D
Another time I could have used the Freedom Chair was during study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark the summer of 2019. Copenhagen is famous for bicycling as the main mode of transportation-- but not so much for traditional wheelchairs! Just three weeks in, one front wheel SNAPPED! clean off from the wheelchair, and just like that was rendered unusable. Thankfully my friends were with me, and more than willing to carry my wheelchair a mile back to the train station. I, on the other hand, didn't get back easily. If I had a freedom chair with me that day, that would never have happened in the first place; the freedom chair is built to handle tough, rugged streets just as a bike can. Why? Because all moveable parts of the chair are made from mountain bike parts. I’ve discovered my love of travelling. This chair will bring that closer to my reality!
(Watch the Freedom Chair flawlessly ride down from a curbed sidewalk)
My first ride with my GRIT chair will be in my parents backyard, around the block with my dogs, and at the park where they’re building a new (accessible!!) playground (yes, I may be 24 but I’m still determined to experience it, haha!). After that, I want to take my chair into more public spaces, including Minnehaha Falls, one of my favorite places to go in the summer.
I truly need your help because I don’t have the financial security to afford a wheelchair on my own, and this particular wheelchair could really open up the world for me. Any help with making this investment for me is sincerely appreciated. In the event that I don’t have enough to purchase the Freedom Chair, I’ll use the money for the next best chair I can find.
If you'd like to donate in other ways, simply sharing this link would help spread the word!
My Venmo: @cardenlevi
Thank you all for your support. <3
Organizer
Carden Levi Olson
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN