Vehicle Conversion For Brunswick's Wheelchair

      My name is Eddie Brunswick, and I am a wheelchair-bound paraplegic as the result of an auto accident, in 1982, at the age of 20. After a lot of rehabilitation, therapy, and training, I was able to return to being a productive working member of society. Learning to drive again, utilizing specialized hand controls, played a significant role in my ability to work and once again enjoy life. Over the nearly 38 years I have been in a wheelchair, I have experienced many changes in the automotive industry,  some of which have complicated my life when it comes to driving.

      The latest of these changes which have brought me to this point is the height of all the new trucks being produced. Even the smaller extended-cab models which I have been using for the last 25 years have now been raised to the point of preventing me from being able to transfer into and out of them safely. To further complicate this problem, the nearly four decades of being in the wheelchair have taken a major toll on my shoulders.  As any long term chair user can attest, our shoulders are not designed to take the weights and repetitions we place on them daily. As a direct result of my weakened shoulders transferring into and out of any of the newer vehicles is impossible. 

      My current vehicle has over 296,000 miles and needs to be replaced. Acquiring a new vehicle is not the greatest obstacle at this point. As I have quickly learned, the greatest obstacle is the significant cost of the lift conversion system to make a new truck accessible without having to use my shoulders to make transfers. The cost of the conversion system is $32,395. When coupled with the cost of a new truck this quickly approaches the price one would expect to pay for a house. The funds being raised will be used for the sole purpose of paying for the conversion system to make my new truck completely accessible to me without having to use my shoulders for transferring in and out. The lift system will pick me up and place me in a position to drive without ever having to lift myself up or down. Not only will this take a tremendous amount of pressure off of my shoulders, but more importantly, the lift will add a level of safety to my getting in and out of the truck that I have never had before. Here is a link if you would like to see the conversion: https://www.atconversions.com/atc-truck-conversions/

      The words have not been created yet to describe how grateful I will be for every dollar received through this effort. The money will not be used for the cost of the truck, that is my investment in this effort. This has proven to be one of the most difficult things I have ever attempted since my injury nearly forty years ago. My pride has always prevented me from asking for help which can be good and bad. I have learned however, there are many people out there that are willing to help you do almost anything, such as some of my outdoor buddies who have helped me return to hunting and fishing, utilizing some very creative methods. Now I am reaching out to any and all that would be willing to help me obtain my goal. Reaching this goal would mean continuing to be able to be mobile in a much safer manner, and allow me to continue to be independent when traveling whether it be short or long distance. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this and God Bless You!

Rob Somerville has submitted the following letter to lend his support to this cause and to validate the legitimacy of the fundraiser.

          It has been my honor and privilege to call Eddie Brunswick not only my great friend, but my brother from another mother, for over 25 years now. I met Eddie at an outdoor show. He had already become wheelchair-bound for about 20 years. He told me that he enjoyed my articles about the great outdoors and sure missed hunting and fishing. I had never given any thought as to other wheelchair-bound people and how difficult not only the outdoors would be to traverse, but life in general.

       We exchanged phone numbers and I called him. I said, “I don’t know what I am doing, but if you want to be the test pilot in this outdoor experience, I am game if you are.” His reply was a simple, “Let’s do this.”

      Together with some friends the dream of participating in the outdoors became a reality. Together, we experienced how to transport, design equipment, and encourage others to do the same. Eddie never once complained, even when we strapped his chair to the bottom of a boat in a raging thunderstorm and took off to a duck blind. His will is unbendable iron and his heart is enormous.

       Eddie soon became a role model to other paraplegics as well as quadriplegics. He showed these folks that they could be handi-capable instead of handicapped in the outdoors. He became a member of the TENNESSEE OUTDOOR WRITER’S and has served in office there for over 20 years, writing outdoor columns and being an inspiration for others. He was my right-hand man as the secretary and treasurer of the WEST TENNESSEE YOUTH OUTDOOR JAMBOREE, which grew into the largest free outdoor event for kids in the world.

       Mr. Brunswick could have sat back and collected a check and felt sorry for himself, as many of us able-bodied people may have done in his situation. Instead, he became an electronics and computer guru, teaching for years at NEWBERN VO-TECH School. He has always been a model of determination and hard work and I have often stated that he could get more done from a wheelchair than most people can who can walk.

      I remember one time, early one in our friendship when we were at a huge outdoor show in Memphis. The pavement turned to gravel as we traveled from booth to booth in the hot summer sun. I naturally stepped behind his wheelchair and started pushing it, thinking I was helping. He stopped me and said when you are with people that are wheelchair-bound; you must let them do what they can on their own. I will never forget that day. It was very rare that he would ever ask me for help. In fact, he has helped me when I moved to a new house. That is the type of man he is.

      Eddie is in his fifties now and his physical strength is not what it once was. His truck needs to be replaced and he will keep working hard and pay the monthly payments on the vehicle.

     But, this is the very first time Eddie Brunswick has said he needed help. He simply cannot afford the tens of thousands of dollars it will take to make him able to transfer and operate his new vehicle.

      Think about it folks, this could be you. It could be your kid, getting up two hours   earlier than most people just so they can tend to their morning rituals and get dressed.

       If anyone, ever … deserved your contributions to a GO-FUND ME page, this is a great candidate. I beseech you to help. I know I am going to. Will you?

God Bless you!

Rob Somerville

Owner/Editor Southern Traditions Outdoors Magazine

Ph: [phone redacted]

PS – To contribute to Eddie Brunswick’s cause go to:     gofundme.com/f/wheelchair-conversion-Brunswick