Help Talia get an all terrain wheelchair

Team fundraiser

Michelle Robinson and 2 others are organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Talia's dad, Wayne, has been cheerfully delivering packages to our Blue Hill Peninsula/Castine families and businesses for over a decade, and when he told me that he has a young daughter who has quadraplegia and how he studied nursing so that he could care for her, I thought "It's time that we deliver to Wayne and his family" and to help get Talia an all-terrain wheelchair.

Talia loves to go camping with her family, to play outside with her siblings and friends, and to explore the Maine woods, fields, and shores. She loves playing with dogs, and dreams of studying veterinary science. Talia is also approaching her teens, and those of us with teens at home know how important it is for them to learn and to achieve as much independence as possible. However, because her wheelchair is really only for floors/smooth surfaces, it doesn't allow her to fully participate in the things she loves to do. She is capable of more independence, but her current wheelchair is not.

The great news is that there is an all terrain mobility device, called the Terrainhopper (see link, below), that is designed to safely allow Talia to be out in the snow, to independently join her dad on his walks through the woods and to even to explore the beach. The device starts at $18000+, and Talia will need a substantial "fit out", like weatherizing and toggle control that will add about $5000 to the cost. There are some accessories that seem more like necessities (like a storage/cargo box) and those would add about $4000. I am also trying to cover the cost of shipping in this fundraiser.

In addition to asking for my neighbors and other families to donate, I am also asking my bank, my homeowner's insurer, and church to donate. The company that distributes the Terrainhopper was started by a former Maine resident, and they offer a $5000 grant (which has not been confirmed for Talia yet). I am also asking a Maine law firm that handles spinal cord injury cases to match the Terrainhopper's grant. I am not afraid to ask businesses for sizeable donations--please ask your employers and local businesses to step up too. Wayne has been delivering cheer to them as well, and we have a good chance of success with businesses participating in this project.

This fundraising effort is a call to local individuals AND businesses to step up and give Talia and Wayne a wicked good Christmas this year.