Paraplegic SUV transfer and wheelchair breakdown

I am stuck in a rental car for a month because I got rear-ended so I thought I'd show you guys how I get in and break my wheelchair down.
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Transcript

[@brianlowther5929]

nice 1 Brittney you make it look so easy. hope you get your car back soon.x

[@daphnebeaupre462]

Beautiful transfer!

[@rudairomunjoma5815]

Smooth

[@EmpoweredPara]

thanks!

[@richardjones5255]

i know it is what you have to do, but I admire the way you get on with life.

[@susietopspin]

Your upper body strength is amazing. Just glad you weren’t badly hurt in the accident. Great video as usual. You rock 💪🏻🤘🏻

[@EmpoweredPara]

Thanks! I'm not as strong as I look lol!

[@howiroll740]

Most excellent transfer!

[@DanOnWheels]

When my van had to go in for hail damage the problem I had is the only rental company near me that would rent with hand controls only offered the hand control on the left side. Both my shoulders are messed up and I can’t steer with my right hand, so I need the hand control on the right side and steer with my left hand. I ended up driving my wife’s AWD Toyota Highlander using my portable hand controls and she drove the rental car. When I got my newest wheelchair I got one made of titanium and pure carbon fiber, the clothing guards come off and the back folds down. So, even though I have a 20 inch wide seat the frame only weighs around 13 lbs and I can get it in very easily (I do have some tummy muscles, not fully, but some). I currently have a BraunAbility power folding ramp van and hate it with a passion. It only has about 4 1/2 inch ground clearance and that is at the B pillar (just behind the front doors, also known as the break over angle). I’ve drug the bottom of the van so many times it’s not funny, including pulling into a supposed ADA van accessible parking spot and off a city street into a parking lot. Not to mention needing 8 feet on the passenger side to get in and out. And, I have to do a 6 inch up travel to get from my wheelchair into the van seat in it. I’m actually looking at a 4 door Jeep Wrangler as my next vehicle. I want something with some ground clearance and 4x4. I have to get in it the same way you did, put my feet in first and using the grab bar pull myself in.

[@EmpoweredPara]

Yeah, I would never get a ramp van. Haven't met one person who likes them. I definitely want my van with the lift back, though. 24 years in a wheelchair and my shoulders are getting tired lol. Wanna save my shoulders for things that I want to do, like skiing, not hauling my wheelchair in and out of vehicles.

[@VAHENKING]

Oh girl!!! Your AWESOME! so much extra work 😢 I know you do what you have to do and that's what we do..but AAH!!😢 I guess only 2 weeks remaining... Your my hero 🎉🎉

[@SharonNolfi]

Wow. Great upper body strength and agility.

[@EmpoweredPara]

Thank you!

[@cdnsoul5808]

As a small person you sure have a lot of upper body strength

[@EmpoweredPara]

Thanks!

[@westiepower2020]

Another smooth and fast transfer! It always amazes me at how confident and fast you are with your transfers. But I sure hope you get your own van back real soon with its convenient and sooo-necessary lift. My wife who’s had major shoulder replacement surgery (for a different yet similar reason - over-use for things that an A-B would never think of) agrees with you that you want to conserve/preserve your shoulders and wrists!!

[@jhors7777]

Thanks for posting, love you Brittney!

[@garyyeakley8131]

Your such an inspiration!!! You bring light into the darkness. Bless you so much

[@EmpoweredPara]

Wow, thank you!

[@TEliassen-w8z]

I think probably Toyota makes various vehicles designed specifically for access by disabilities of various description, but they don't export them to the US or Canada. Some years ago I was in Tokyo on business and got taken to a Toyota test track where potential buyers could come drive any model Toyota. There must have been more than a dozen vehicles designed specifically for easy accessibility. I was impressed with the wide range of designs, vehicle sizes, etc. Here in NA dealers and online info seem to show only the Sienna van with lifts by third parties, but none of these amazing specialty vehicles i saw in Japan. Maybe one of the larger advocacy groups in North America could contact Toyota at a high enough corporate level to find out about current status of these special vehicles.

[@mbl36]

That is exactly what I am going to try to do. I have primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Right foot no foot drop I also 110 lbs. Very strong arms. What kind of ♿️ wheelchair is yours? Thanks so much!

[@davegoodridge8352]

You are one tough Lady!

[@s8tmanpaul77]

I have MS and cannot use either of my legs so I’m in a wheelchair all the time. I also have 50% loss of use in my right arm, and my hand is also very weak. My left arm is OK but my rotator cuff is separated about a third of the way through and no one wants to operate on me because they’re afraid it will exacerbate my MS. All that being said, my wheelchair is motorized, and I have a van that, is especially equipped with a ramp and a fully retracting driver seat. Make a long story short, I was sitting at a stop sign and was hit in the front left of my van, because somebody turned in front of me and was broadsided by an oncoming vehicle. It took almost 2 weeks to get my van fixed, damage was minor, but I was unable to go anywhere, because without the ramp, I cannot get into another vehicle. I would be able to rent a van with a ramp for $250 a day but they did not come with the retractable driver seat so I would not be able to drive it and somebody would have to take me where I wanted to go. All the insurance companies would cover was $25 a day towards a rental vehicle. On top of all this, we were trying to move into a new house that we built that was handicap friendly for me. There is a definite problem in our country, the United States, and how they look at people with handicap issues. Sorry for the rant.

[@EmpoweredPara]

Yeah there are seriously limited options for people that need ramp vans that aren't passengers.

[@gtrguyinaz]

Nicely done and regular vehicles are not a long term solution…. You are strong but many can’t do this…

[@EmpoweredPara]

Yeah definitely not a long term solution. I decided a long time ago to save my shoulders for better things!

[@FlipMacz]

Extremely helpful ❤

[@johnvelas70]

Fun story for you: A Marine I know who lives in Chechnya now collapsed on the street in front of a medical center. He had his appendix removed by the Ob-Gyn. Yes, I will be picking on him tonight.

[@JamesSmith-pm9gp]

When you stated 2 minutes in and 2 minutes out, it got me to wondering how long it takes my wife to do the same. Her disability doesn’t mean a chair, but I timed her and it takes her at least a minute and a half to do it. So, yes, you are really quick!

[@stephenfeldman8104]

My comment is not going to be the most useful but here goes. I am a T4 para and have drive a 2014 Mazda 5 (a mini, mini van). What makes the Mazda 5 so ideal for wheelers, is that the rear door slides back like those on full-size vans. I removed the middle row driver's side seat which allows me to pull in my chair without having to remove the wheels. The bad news is that Mazda discontinued this model in 2015 and there is no comparable car available anywhere, at least in the US.

[@EmpoweredPara]

I have about 5 friends with the Mazda 5 and it works like a charm! Definitely a great vehicle for wheelers!

[@s8tmanpaul77]

OMG, u r incredible! ❤

[@bobs1356]

Shirley here. It a lot you have to go through together into your van and have to put it back together. Did you ever think of getting a motor wheele chair it's runs on a charged battery and folds up easy when getting into a vehicle.

[@EmpoweredPara]

I like have a small, compact wheelchair:) Someday I might get a scooter

[@samanthatremellen7640]

You are amazing. I could not do that

[@EmpoweredPara]

I bet you could!

[@Calgary208]

Can you swime? If yes, would you please show us how, as there is no swiming lessen step by step for paraplegic people in whole Google world I think. At least I could not find it. Thank you! You are a roll model.

[@EmpoweredPara]

it's on my list but I'm not a very good swimmer lol

[@EmpoweredPara]

Thanks guys!

[@Calgary208]

@@EmpoweredPara at least make a vedio how you swim or keeping your balance without moving your legs. When iam in the pool can't release my hand from the railing or wall.

[@EmpoweredPara]

@@Calgary208 I will the next time I go to a pool!

[@darrylgurbach7366]

Hello from Sask! Im a part time wheelchair user and am curious as to how you put your chair in there like that without getting the grease on the wheel spindles on yourself or the car seats. Where did you buy your cupholder for your chair?

[@EmpoweredPara]

I don't seem to get any grease on myself, I just make sure not to touch the axle pin thing.

[@nygirlinancworld1628]

Hello! I put a towel over myself to prevent grease from getting on my clothes. I also have a seat cover from chewy that is on my passenger seat. It helps prevent grease from getting on the seat. 😃

[@stephenfeldman8104]

Unrelated: wheelchair brakes vs no brakes. Many wheelers opt for no brakes on their chair and though they can transfer safely an unlocked chair requires the user to apply additional arm/shoulder effort to stabilize the chair while transferring. Over time -- measured in years, decades -- this increases the likelihood of shoulder dysfunction. An ounce of prevention. . .

[@JamesSmith-pm9gp]

Wow! I had no idea that any chair user would have a chair without brakes! Of course, I don’t quite understand how the brakes work.

[@EmpoweredPara]

I definitely would never forgo having brakes! I hate it when mine get even a little loose. Can't imagine not having any at all!

[@JamesSmith-pm9gp]

@@EmpoweredPara Could you maybe some day show and explain the various types of brakes on a chair please? I’ve heard of Scissor Brakes and someone once said there was at least one other type.

[@westiepower2020]

Oh my goodness, I just realized that with the rental vehicle, there isn’t that cute lil seat beside your seat in the SUV to help you get in! An extra step needed to get in. And, how do the wheels come off the frame of your wheelchair; is there something you squeeze, or ??

[@EmpoweredPara]

@@westiepower2020 it's button on the axle

[@mbl36]

I can't walk currently. Oh and the weight of your wheelchair please. God bless you 🙏🏻

[@VllKlNG]

Sorry to hear about the damage to your other van. Lifting the chair over your body all the time does seem pretty hard core. When is sometime going to invent the inflatable wheelchair? 🤔

[@EmpoweredPara]

Inflatable wheelchair lol? I'd dedicate pop mine in the first day haha.

[@VllKlNG]

@EmpoweredPara HA HA - good point. I was going for light and squishy. Maybe we'll have to wait for the mech suit, or robots who can carry all our stuff around for us. :)

[@EmpoweredPara]

@@VllKlNG you can invent a knew material that can be inflated but not pop. You'll be a millionaire!

[@westiepower2020]

I need to ask - in all your videos in which you show your transfer (vehicle, dentist, hair salon, etc), the thing I notice the most is the confidence and smoothness of your transfer, and most of all, the speed in which you do them!! From the time you started doing all these transfers yourself and without a sliding board, have you always done them with such speed?

[@EmpoweredPara]

Speed is the name of the game. Short bursts of energy are much stronger than sustained energy.

[@westiepower2020]

@@EmpoweredPara I think I understand what you mean. You have a great analysis and understanding. And I guess you now have the confidence to know that most of your transfers will be successful.

[@westiepower2020]

When do you get your van, and more importantly, your nifty Speedy Lift with XL Seat “shoulder-saving” lift, back?

[@sunilsheoran31]

Hi how you manage urine in night i mean leakage while sleeping because we don't feel anything while sleeping?

[@EmpoweredPara]

I have bladder sensation and my body wakes me up to cath twice per night.

[@benjohnson3022]

Do you have to ring around a lot to find a car with accelerator and stuff on the steering wheel?

[@EmpoweredPara]

They put the hand controls in whatever vehicle I rent so no I don't have to call a bunch of places to find it. There are a number of places here that will install hand controls of needed, it just takes a few days notice.

[@dphilke]

What vehicle (make/ model) is that? I have yet to find one with doors that open as wide as these seem to. Subarus open about the widest I've found, but this looks to open even wider.

[@JamesSmith-pm9gp]

If I may - My friend owns one of these - it is a GMC Terrain.

[@EmpoweredPara]

GMC terrain

[@westiepower2020]

I wonder every day, at Evening Prayer Time, if her van has been returned to Brittney yet…..

[@EmpoweredPara]

nope not yet

[@westiepower2020]

@@EmpoweredPara OMG!!! That is so insane. We hope your shoulders are holding up. Last time my vehicle repair was overdue (5 weeks instead of 3 weeks), I located the dealership owner at his cabin (don't ask how I got that phone number), and yelled at him, and "miraculously" my Nissan was ready the next day. Sometimes I can't reason with people and yelling is required lol!

[@bobs1356]

Is your car insurance higher because of your handicap? My has epilepsy and his insurance is high.

[@EmpoweredPara]

nope, mine isn't higher

[@sunilsheoran31]

How many hours do you exercise and which exercises?

[@EmpoweredPara]

Truthfully I don't exercise enough.I have to get back to regular exercise

[@samanthatremellen7640]

Omg! What is stage 2 whiplash

[@EmpoweredPara]

It's moderate muscle damage to your neck, back and shoulders

[@samanthatremellen7640]

Hi how did you get an adapted rental?

[@EmpoweredPara]

I just called and asked for hard controls to be installed in the vehicle:)

[@LandofMert76]

At least you don't have to go work out after all this

[@EmpoweredPara]

lol yes I still should!

[@patklemmensen1694]

a rental vehicle, with hand controls? interesting...

[@charles_wipman]

You know how to me make me angry seeing this.. "diferences" between how we the physical able people could do certain things and how you, the "not so 100% able" people have to do everything just... makes me really angry, i burn in wrath when i see the difference and i cant do much about it. EDIT: Dislexia and being spaniard/english ton my 1st language.