A few weeks ago, there was a message in a special needs Facebook forum that I'm a member of where a friend was giving away a Tumbleform II chair with a wheeled base that her kids had outgrown to anyone who wanted it. I jumped on it with zero hesitation. For our family it was an answer to a prayer, more mobility for Matt outside of the wheelchair and that it wouldn't have to go through insurance to get it. Any parent with a child who has special needs knows how expensive medical equipment is and how insurance companies will go out of their way not to cover it.
Upon learning a little more about this chair, I found out that we are the third family to use it and that it has been well-loved. The first family who used it has a son with Cerebral Palsy. When he outgrew it, it was passed it to a family with 9 children, some of whom have special needs and all of them very much loved. I was blessed enough to "meet" their mom, Meredith, in a group for special needs parents and was immediately mesmerized by her family's testimony. She has a blog about her family, their faith, and homeschooling that I love, please stop by and check it out.
We made the hour drive to their home and felt instantly welcomed. I was so excited that I was finally going to meet them in person after chatting on and off for a few months. We didn't get all of the kids together during this visit because both Matt and their kiddos were all in various stages of illness and we didn't want to expose all of them to each others germs, but hopefully we can soon.
Matt loves his new chair, it is far less confining and restrictive than his wheelchair. He has especially loved sitting in it since we put up the Christmas tree because he can get closer and look at the lights.We are so thankful for their generosity and even more when those Facebook friends become friends in real life.
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