Aquilino Hernandez was injured while helping a friend cut down some trees on January 5 2021. He suffered a T9 complete Spinal Cord Injury requiring him to use a wheelchair for all mobility related activities. Aquilino lives at home with his wife and 3 school aged sons. When Aquilino was discharged from the hospital he was required to purchase his own manual chair from the Salvation Army, it has only one arm rest and is at least 2” too narrow. Aquilino attempted to go through his insurance for a custom manual wheelchair because the current chair he is using is not working for him nor his life.

Aquilino saw a physician, a therapist specializing in Wheelchair seating, and an ATP with corroborating documentation justifying his current need for a custom wheelchair. The insurance would not cover a new chair. Through the donations from the Foundation a new custom Motion Composite manual wheelchair with positioning backrest and contoured skin protection/positioning cushion was ordered and delivered. This chair will allow Aquilino to get out of the house to doctor’s appointments, therapy visits, go to the grocery store, or anywhere he would like to go, and maneuver in his home with less pain and fatigue.