Hi, it's Kristen here with LDS Charities, and today we're going to be talking about our signature wheelchair program. And today I have with me Phil, who is a physical therapist and one of our technical specialists, and Jeff, who's also one of our technical specialists. He's a wheelchair user himself and a silver-medalist Paralympian, which is pretty neat. Absolutely. So the first question I have for you guys, just quickly, is what is the wheelchair program? What do we do and what do you guys do as technical specialists? Well, what we do is go to countries around the world and teach them how to fit and measure and seat individuals for wheelchairs, and provide them those wheelchairs to prescribe to individuals who normally wouldn't have that opportunity to receive a wheelchair. And it's been a great change since we first started. When we first began, a lot of changes took place. You know, we've developed a new chair. Lightweight. What I believe is a game changer is this quick-release axle, where it allows them to just go and explore the world in depth, be and do what they're meant to be here on this earth, right? And we're giving them this tool. And it used to be where we just came and gave it to them. But now we really want to focus on not just giving them the tool, but teaching the locals how to properly put them in a chair and also teach them how to maintain this program so when we leave, they're able to keep on going. They can just continue on. Yeah. So I mean, you guys spend, like, a week in a country, probably, just teaching people how to fit wheelchairs. Yes. Giving them that knowledge and that enabling power to be able to change some lives. That's correct. The training itself that they receive is roughly a week. We usually get there a few days early to prepare and then also to try to recover from jet lag, I guess. But yeah, the idea is that we give them this information and this education that allows them to seat and fit individuals appropriately to not do them any harm. I always like to start out the training like comparing it to a shoe, where if you get a shoe and it doesn't quite fit, how you don't like it and it can cause you blisters on your feet and those kind of things. It's the same relationship with a wheelchair user. You want a wheelchair that's going to fit and support and be comfortable for somebody. And something that doesn't fit can cause them damage, just like a blister or a pressure sore or something like that. In fact, what's interesting is, these people have been given a life sentence with their disability. But what people don't understand is, if they're put in a chair, an improper chair, it could be a matter of life or death. And so it's very important to measure properly and to be put into a correct size wheelchair. So maybe, if you don't mind, we'll talk briefly about what kind of fits we do. So if you don't mind hopping in there. Jeff has been kind enough to be our guinea pig a little bit. Sure. So the one thing that we really try to focus on--and Jeff hasn't quite been fit to this wheelchair. Yes, this is not customized for Jeff. So you can see this big space right here underneath his knee, which tells me that his footrest height is too high. So we would teach them to lower that so that he has a little bit more support along his thigh, because really, what's happening here is, all that pressure is going all the way back to his bottom. So he has a real, increased risk of a pressure sore. We measure his hip width so that he is fit in there appropriately. If one is too wide, it makes it really difficult for somebody to propel themselves. They can't generate that force. So if they had to go up a step or up a hill, it would be really difficult for them. The other things that are adjustable on this chair are the center of gravity, the position of the wheels underneath. So this one is in an active position. Jeff can pop a really cool wheelie. Got to be careful, because otherwise you go right over. The backrest height is adjustable. There's just so many things that we can really customize this to an individual that would allow them to be safe and comfortable and be able to access their community in ways that they've never been able to before. And they're getting a really high-quality wheelchair that's going to last them a long time, because that's really the goal, is that it's going to be sustainable in their country. I mean, this is something that people in the United States don't think a lot about because we live in such a wheelchair-accessible country. You know, they have to be able to pop wheelies where you're taking these chairs, because they don't have ramps, they don't have lower curbs. They have to hop over curbs and get on to buses and into taxis. Oh, yeah. And that's why you need the wheels to come off so you can just fold it up and pop right in. It's more than curbs. It's ditches and sand dunes and all kinds of different variables that they find in their community. Absolutely. In fact, one of the things that we do to make sure that they're able to use their wheelchair, not just be fit in their wheelchair, but we've put together a little obstacle course. And one concern--people will see my wheelchair, which is Americanized. It's lightweight. And then they look at me and they're like, "I want that, not this." And so what's interesting is, we go there and we'll put together a course and I'll run it in my chair. And we'll time it, of course. And they're going against Olympians. They're going against a world athlete here. And so I go a little bit slower than I normally would to make sure somebody will beat me, right, to have some success. And so as I'm sitting halfway in the course and as people are going by, I give them high fives or whatnot. But I remember the first time one of the individuals beat my score. The place just exploded, and I'm like, "Somebody just got faster than me." But then I go over there and let them know, "Listen, you know what? You guys are getting a chair that is something that I would use in your country." And it's just neat to see the light turn on and just the freedom that they're not just getting the chair, but all the possibilities that they have out there. In fact, Phil was talking about a young woman who had been--you tell the story. It's much better if you do. Well, I had this beautiful woman when I was in Uganda, 21 years old, and she came in. And part of our training at the last two days is that they get to do a practical. So we get to watch them actually go through the full prescription process and fit and seat and choose a wheelchair, make the adjustments, and then give it to this wheelchair user for them to take. So we had these individuals come in, and they literally came crawling in. They had flip-flops on their fingers, huge calluses on their knees from where they had crawled. This 21-year-old, specifically, had never been in a wheelchair her entire life. She had crawled. And to see her come up and get sit in a wheelchair, and see the fear in her face of this change, and watch her sort of start to manipulate the chair, and then see the smile that actually just lit up the whole room as she started going around and communicating with people face to face and talking with them, and really, really recognizing the opportunity and the access that she was going to have now to move forward for her life. These wheelchairs literally change people's lives and their opportunities that are provided for them. It's beautiful. Well, you touched on the key to that, right? I mean, it's like, you are changing lives, but you're not doing anyone any favors by just handing any chair to any person, right? Right. So that's why this whole fit is so key. And you know, this wheelchair, we only just recently started distributing that. This is a new wheelchair with new customizations, and it's really revolutionary for us to be able to go in and make something so high-quality and so custom. It is. To really improve people's lives where they live. Yes. Right? Yeah. I think that's so awesome. We're doing things that other people are not doing, providing opportunities that other people are not doing. And we're doing it with a smile. Yeah, and you're providing sustainability for these people that you're training. I think that's another thing people forget about LDS Charities, is, you're training the trainer. So you're going in and you're showing people how to do this, like you said, so that when you leave, it continues for years to come. Yeah. Which is awesome. Thank you so much, guys, for both coming and chatting with us about the wheelchair program. Any time. I love the wheelchair program. It has been so wonderful to hear the personal stories. And just keep doing what you're doing, that amazing work. And we thank you for it. Thank you. You bet ya. And if you at home have any more questions about our wheelchair program, feel free to visit LDSCharities.org.