Fund for Claudia

I wanted to give you all an update on how we've used the funds you have so generously donated. New Zealand has a national accident insurance company that covers everyone, and we benefited from that coverage for my hospital and re-hab, equipment (including my wheelchair, bed, ramps for the house, etc) and ongoing professional help including occupational therapists, physical therapy, and in-home personal care.

So why did you give? We were able to use the donations you provided to purchase a nice chair for our lounge room that I can use. I know that sounds a little ... simple, but you have no idea how nice it is to sit somewhere that isn't the wheelchair and isn't the bed. Previously, those were my only choices. The wheelchair is great, but it isn't particularly relaxing. Thanks to you, I have options.

We have also used some of the funds to help us train our dog, Friday, to become a mobility assistance dog. We've had Friday since she was a puppy, and we'd taken her for obedience training, but this is a whole new level of training. She passed her first assessment and is now officially in the program with her little service dog jacket and everything. We've had help from a professional dog trainer and paid membership fees, etc with your help.

The house we bought a couple of years ago in Wellington is fairly typical for this neck of the woods. Parking is on the street and access is by a very long set of stairs. After my accident, we tried (with the help of the insurer) to get vehicle access to the house, but it just isn't possible. That means we will sell the house and buy a different one. So we are reserving some of the funds you've donated for modifications to the new house. The insurer will pay for basic mods, but there may be things we want that will make my life more comfortable that the insurance company simply won't cover - that may be better access to the garden, a particular window treatment that is easier for me to use, etc.

You can believe we have thought of each of you every time we rely on our friends for anything. The support we have had has been such a beautiful reminder of how loved we are. We are still learning, still working out how to be, still moving forward.

If you are interested in keeping in touch or hearing about progress, I've started a blog: myeyesforward.net.

Sincerest thank you for all you've done for us.