Keep Kadesha cruising

Hi everyone,

My name is Kadesha I’m an international student, born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD in Fayetteville, Arkansas and just finished my second year of coursework. Prior to moving to the United States in 2014, I experienced an incident which left me paralyzed in April 2012. The road to recovery and independence has been arduous for both me and my immediate family. Navigating life in the Bahamas is difficult for persons with disabilities due to the widely inaccessible nature of most public spaces. The ability for a person such as myself to achieve milestones such as regaining the ability to drive, attend university and live independently has been dependent on having a proper functioning wheelchair.

In 2013 I was gifted a customized wheelchair by a close family friend. It has lived a good life but in the past 9 years, both the quality and function of the wheelchair have deteriorated considerably and therefore I am on the quest to obtain a new pair of wheels!

This is important not only to my safety, but also for my health. In the last 9 years my body has grown and changed a lot in ways that my old chair can no longer accommodate. The average lifespan of a chair is 4-5 years and mine is almost twice as old. As an active wheelchair user, the wear and tear has resulted in a compromised frame with less durability. This means less back support, unreliable brakes, and having to frequently replace tires and other miscellaneous parts. Working on a campus with significant hills and sometimes inclement weather means that this poses a great risk to my well-being. A new chair would provide me with the adequate support needed to prevent any further complications to my spinal cord injury. It would also provide me with a greater sense of security and independence.

As an international student, my health insurance does not cover the costs necessary for a new chair. I am a graduate assistant at my university and working the maximum hours allowed on my student visa but these monthly wages on are barely enough to cover basic necessities of rent, utilities, food, etc. These factors combined have led me to create this fundraiser in hopes that I can garner enough financial support from my already supportive network of colleagues, family, and friends.

I am asking for $4,800 to cover expenses related to appointments necessary to be fitted for a new chair ($750), the purchasing and delivery of the new chair ($3,600), and potentially a new seat cushion to fit the chair ($450).

Any and all amounts are greatly appreciated