It was two years ago this month that a representative came to our home and measured Jed for his new custom wheelchair. We were naive and believers in the system, so expected all to go well and waited paitently for his chair to be manufactured. We were told that it would be a few months.
After more than a few months we followed up. Lo and behold they didn't even know who we were and had lost all the paperwork. This started a scrambling game that involved three wheelchair companies, lawyers and insurance companies in two states. I can assure you that we are no longer naive.
I had to report one company to Medicare Fraud for billing Medicare without providing us a chair. After months and months of dealing with the fraud and finally being released by Medicare to pursue a new chair, we found ourselved in a insurance claim issue related to a little old lady in Colorado who ran into Jed while in a loaner chair.
So, two years later he got his new chair. This one is his. It was made especially for him based on his measurements and his needs. It felt like Christmas to me. The guy who delivered it seemed like Santa Claus and I was happier than you can imagine. I felt like I had been to war, came home a hero and had a fine limo to ride in.
Jed, had a little bit different response. "It's okay." "It's a little harder to work with." I'm silently screaming, "You've got to be kidding. I fought wars for this damn chair. It's got to be perfect and you have to love it!"
It's now like the day after Christmas. Tree is bare and gifts are opened and imperfect.
It's just that a chair can't fix what is wrong. The chair is good, real good, but Jed still can't do for himself. He cried the other night because he can't brush his own teeth. And I wanted him to be happy happy joy joy with his new chair. Yes, it's good. Yes, we are go very glad that this battle has been won, but we have so many more to fight. I get it, why he wasn't so completely overjoyed. I get it. Maybe I am still a little bit naive.
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