MEET OUR CLIENTS / Our Ambassadors / Kelly

Kelly

Diagnoses do not define people or prevent them from having rich and fulfilling lives. Lamentably, I have repeatedly noticed that expectations for people like me are often lower, especially in terms of academics, life after high school and self-actualization. Thus, I am beyond grateful that my family, friends, teachers and care team never made that all-too-prevalent reality part of my story. Instead, they helped me write The Book of Kelly, not The Book of Kelly: The Girl in the Wheelchair. Though we didn't know it was associated with Invacare initially, the "Yes, you can®" motto has always been the way we have approached Life in regard to my physical limitations. Largely because of that, I have lived a vibrant and meaningful life that is, in many ways, exceptionally ordinary. Undoubtedly, that frame of mind (and my competitive/stubborn nature) has also played a pivotal role in my tendency to see “impossibilities” as dares. Furthermore, it and the people I have been incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by, have enabled me to see that redefining a new normal is not always obligatory. As a result, I have been an active participant in my care from a very young age and have learned the importance of advocating for myself. I want to share that with others and help them break down barriers because, for various reasons, the industry standard is too regularly, “You’ll get used to it. “

To be clear, I am also a realist. I know there are not workarounds for everything, and I very much recognize the frustration, anguish, yearning and dozens of other feelings that truth can elicit. Similarly, I’m familiar with how exhausting and exasperating it can be to live in a world where planning ahead (e.g., anticipating various scenarios and what complications may arise, troubleshooting how to deal with them and problem-solving in the moment) is a customary necessity for even the most mundane activities. Generally speaking, though, it’s amazing how far a little creativity, determination and tenacity can go when it comes to achieving goals.

I use the Micro Extremity Control (MEC) and it is a fully proportional joystick, which is something that is extremely important to me. I change speeds frequently and being able to do so by depressing the joystick more or less is by far my preference compared to other options because I can make many changes in a short amount of time that are instantaneous. If you've ever been in a large crowd, you're probably familiar with having to quickly alter your speed and direction to avoid collisions. It would be significantly harder for me to do that and many other things, like crossing a street faster if needed, with a non-proportional joystick. Relatedly, the amount of throw that the MEC offers is awesome because it enables me to access a broad range of speeds within a single drive without compromising how long I am able to maintain a constant speed (i.e., there is no jerkiness resulting from too much speed and not enough throw).