Celia Gananpushpam, is a 58 year old lady with a 15 year history of Type 2 Diabetes. Thrice a week she needs dialysis. After stepping on on a piece of glass accidentally, doctors amputated her leg to save her life. This made her entirely dependent on her family for any kind of mobility. Her tears of joy, when she received a wheel chair and for the first time in a year could move around independently, will stay with us for a long time.

Ezra, was a driver by profession. Now 55 years old, he has been battling high blood sugar for most of his adult life. In 2016 he lost two fingers as a side effect of this. The sole bread winner in his family, he had to undergo a leg amputation in 2017. As a result of the amputation, he lost his job and his family had to turn to their oldest child to earn a living. The loss of movement caused him to isolate himself because he did not want to depend on his family to help him get around. Access to a wheelchair he says, has been the single most life changing event, post his amputation.

Prema, aged 63, is the primary caregiver of her husband who is a heart patient. Due to kidney failure, she lost her ability to walk. Repeated procedures and treatments caused the deterioration of her mental and physical health. Her inability to move worsened her condition and she turned despondent. In being able to get around because of a wheelchair, she has slowly recovered some hope and is on the path to claiming greater control over her life.

Samuel, aged 50, lost his right leg to diabetes. Subsequently he had a heart attack. Being immobile placed a great strain on his family both financially and from a caregiving point of view. On insulin and cardiac medicines for life, he cannot afford a wheelchair. Receiving one has given him the ability to get around without dependency and regain both strength and confidence

Subashree, aged 38 year was afflicted by polio when she was 9 months old. Entirely reliant on a wheelchair since the age of 12, she even manages to run errands and shop for groceries independently. Worn and broken, her old wheelchair needed to be replaced but her family couldn’t afford a new one. Receiving a new wheelchair has been a both a source of great relief and joy for her and her family.

Adithi is an orphan who suffers from depression. Due a fall she lost the ability to walk. Her wheelchair was threadbare and she was using plastic wrappers to pad it. Her smile on her face when sat on her new wheelchair was one we’ll never forget.