Help Us Keep Dominick’s Wheelchair

Dominick Evans isn’t just one of the writers and head editor for Literary Illusions. He’s also my best friend. It’s difficult to think your best friend may lose their only means of transportation, via wheelchair, but that is a likely fear I face as I wait for Dominick to go through his third appeal to keep his wheelchair.

Dominick is 27 years old. He’s been unable to walk since he was 16 years old. He could stand, briefly, by clinging to the edge of his bed, to hold himself up, until he fell on his leg during a transfer, back in 2002. He ended up fracturing his tibia and the ability to stand at all was lost. This is important to know because his insurance is saying that he can stand up and walk from his bed to his wheelchair so they don’t wish to pay for the new chair he has received.

The chair features tilt and a special cushion because he is high risk for pressure sores and he cannot weight shift. Considering he has a progressive (as in, it gets worse not better) muscle disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (covered under Muscular Dystrophy) and the fact that his insurance saw just cause to buy him a chair with tilt and a special cushion back in 2002, it seems logical to amass that he still needs those things on his chair. However, since according to insurance, he’s miraculously able to walk/stand, they refuse to pay for his new wheelchair, even though its clear he needs it.

Dominick suffered with a broken down wheelchair practically from the moment he received his old chair in 2002. He had to get a lawyer just to make the company (where he got the chair from) fix it. It was literally two days old and falling apart. They never fixed the chair properly, so he had to suffer in a substandard chair that continuously broke down and was too big for his 5′3 frame. This led to many health problems for Dominick and he ended up spending more time in bed then out in his wheelchair.

A new chair, which can be purchased every five years, was a new beginning for Dom. He is able to get out and about more. He’s able to stay up in his chair longer. His atrophying muscles aren’t as stiff. He’s doing much better physically, emotionally, and mentally considering what a toll having such a bad chair can put on a person. I’ve sat by and watched it all. We’ve been together since 2002, so I’ve been through all of it with him and now I can no longer sit by without helping him in some way.

They took Dominick’s bad chair away to recycle it for parts. The only chair he has now is the new one, which insurance should pay for. His third appeal goes to the Supreme Court. Until then, I’m scared he’s going to lose his wheelchair. If he does, he’ll be bedridden indefinitely. So, I’m asking you from the bottom of my heart. I love this man. I believe in him. I don’t want him to face this ordeal in bed. I want him to have the freedom he needs…the freedom he deserves! So, please, I am urging you, to check out Dominick’s story. You can find it on the MDP United website.

This is an organization Dominick is trying to get off the ground so these kind of problems don’t happen to people with Muscular Dystrophy. He’s learning from his problems and trying to make the world a better place for others who could potentially be going through what he is right now.

You can also do us a major favor by emailing your Congressmen, Congresswomen, and Senators about how Medicare is not willing to allow those who truly need wheelchairs to keep them.

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