Hello, my name is Susan,I am 63 years old and arthritis is taking over my body. Born and raised in New Jersey, I moved to Upper Black Eddy, PA in 1999. Before moving here, I was an active bike rider and walker. I would walk and ride my bike wherever and whenever I could. I would even ride my bike to work, sometimes as far as 7 miles one way. I used to be able to take care of my yard when I moved here. I would be outside on the weekends, all day, weedwacking, mowing, weeding. Whatever needed to be done. Not so much anymore. Now, I'm lucky if I can spend an hour or two outside working in the yard. Since I moved here it seems my body has become a Petri dish for arthritis. It started with fibromyalgia and progressed from there. The arthritis I have had affected every joint in my body, and has caused me a loss in my social life, I have shrunk three inches to date from multiple spine surgeries, including the cervical spine with the hope of easing the pain of the arthritis. And due to the amount of arthritic pain, I have been unable to work and have been on disability since 2010. I have ankles and feet that are also so arthritic, multiple doctors have told me my walking days are over. I am someone who loves to walk for exercise not to mention "me" time with my furbabies. After a severe break of my left ankle in 2003, from a slip on ice, the ankle has developed severe arthritis and 16 years later is still being treated for pain. I have been seeing doctors since 1999 for chronic pain and the news never gets better from doctor to doctor. I have tried therapy, massage, heat, ice, wearing custom made orthotics in my shoes, I have worn boots in lieu of shoes to keep my feet/ankles stable, I've had surgery to clean out the arthritis in my left ankle, all the while my right ankle was getting worse. I am now at the point where the doctors are saying out of one side of their mouth, "you need an ankle fusion" but out of the other side of their mouth say "you don't want an ankle fusion." I saw one last doctor yesterday with the ever present hope he would have a more encouraging diagnosis. Unfortunately, he came up with the same conclusion, my walking days are over.
Those two dogs in the picture are my furbabies that love to go for walks.They don't wear their collars in the house but they know when I grab their collars, they are going out for a walk. Because of my condition, I haven't been able to walk them for at least a year. But their most favorite thing is the pool, so when summer comes, watch out. And it breaks my heart. It would mean so much to me (and them), if I could get some help to pay for the Alinker so the three of us could go walking again. I also have grandkids that I have not been able to thoroughly enjoy either, due to the debilitating pain level in my body, feet and ankles. They like to go shopping,and with four young girls, ages 7-13, they can shop! They like to go to amusement parks as well, againa lot of walking involved. They all play softball, that I have to drive over an hour to get to any one of the games. I try, I really do. But, there are times when I arrive at the field, I can barely get out of my car because the arthritis had settled in during the drive. We always have to cut our outings short because "Grandmom's feet and ankles hurt too much, along with my back." These girls are the reason I get up in the morning and I feel as though I'm cheating them on having a really fun grandmom because I can't do a whole lot of things that they would like to do. I'll never have my legs back the way they were when I was much younger, but if I can get funding for my Alinker, at least I could put up a good fight.
I am reaching out for help, which for me, is so difficult for me to do. I like to be independent and I think with the Alinker may bring back some of that independence. I feel like I'm begging here, but I guess I am. I am asking for your help to help me pay for my Alinker. Any amount will help. And the reason I have to ask for help is due to the severity of the arthritis, I have been on disability since 2010 and my Social Security Disability check pays my rent and my Medicare supplement payment and I end up with not enough money for my other bills.
If you can find it in your hearts to contribute to my campaign, I would appreciate it very much.
One final note, every time I go back to one of my doctors, I
never seem to get any positive results, always bad news. I saw the
neurologist on Thursday and had yet another setback. There is nerve
damage in my lower back and it is causing a lot of the pain in my
feet, and my left foot also has nerve damage from an old injury.
Nothing helps with the pain, and now I can't even walk my furbabies
and that was one of the biggest joys in my life after coming home
from work to be able to take them for a walk.These girls are my
heart and make me so proud to be their grandmother.
If you can find it in your hearts, please consider a small contribution, I will be forever in your debt. Because this is me after I get back home after any outing, completely wiped out.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart in advance.
Sincerely,
Susan K Rhoades
The campaigns are about sharing. Most people have no idea what life is like when you live with MS or what happens after you have a stroke. Isolation is often a bigger problem than the symptoms of the disease itself. With the campaigns we can share and educate people, because it can happen to all of us. When we create a movement where people simply show up for each other, it might get a bit ‘safer’ and less ‘scary’ to engage with each other. Some people share their experiences on their campaign, others share their funds to support the campaigns. It is not about asking for money, it is creating an opportunity for people to learn and show up with #generosity. Being generous resonates with who we are as humans. We understand generosity deeply and when you practice it, you feel so much better
PLEASE NOTE
- The campaigns are in USD $, and due to the pandemic and price increase from September onwards $2950 USD. This includes the Alinker, shipping, process and campaign fees and our #AlinkerFamily support.
- The campaigns are all or nothing, no credit cards are charged unless the campaign reaches its goal.
- As soon as the campaign reaches its goal, we ship an Alinker (from direct stock or you'll be placed in line, delivery 6-8 weeks).
- Campaigners do not handle money. On disability or welfare, you cannot handle money without being penalized, but you can receive an Alinker !
- When the campaign raises more than the goal, the campaigner can chose another campaign where we then make the donation to, paying it forward, or get the balanced paid out, the choice is the campaigner's.
- If you want to start a campaign and are outside Canada or the USA, write an email to molly@thealinker.com. We can potentially get a shipping quote to where you live, and include that in the campaign goal, though we like to keep shipping at a minimum, so we will not ship anywhere beyond $250 shipping costs.
Together we build a movement of kindness and generosity, because we all need it
Why do we facilitate crowdfunding on our site?
We believe that the Alinkers should be available for everybody, regardless of income and people who start a crowdfunding campaign here, will have access to a life changing Alinker. Did you see how happy Selma Blair is using her Alinker? Her anxiety dropped from level 10 to 2 after she got back on her new Alinker. She is so happy and so on with this new invention, that she wants to create a fund to get people access to Alinkers. These crowdfunding campaigns are the first step to make Alinkers available for everybody. Selma Blair and BE are now putting their energy together to build a generous community around all the campaigners! The campaigners are people who allow others to show up generously, give them love!
Here is the Alinker segment as was aired on CBS Innovation Nation October 2019 - https://youtu.be/pk96VDkJ9NU
Why an Alinker?
Generally, medical devices are a technical solution for a body with a
problem.
The Alinker is designed for who we are, a whole human
being, who wants to live an active and engaged life. We are a human,
we have a body. Whether we miss a leg of have MS, it does not change
who we are.
Yet the world we live in, treats us as a body with a problem, which creates a social divide between people based on their body, based on what we have, not on who we are. Isolation and loneliness are more devastating than the disease itself. So we need to show up for each other, acknowledge each other and be present to who we are.
These campaigns are here to bridge the gap between a high quality custom Alinker, and the people who live at the receiving end of a 'sickcare' system that drives people into poverty.
So, show up, be radically generous, it is something we humans really
understand.
When you read each story in each campaign, pause and
imagine who that person is, and why they started the campaign, reach
out to them, let them know they are surrounded and seen, heard and not
alone. When we do that, we feel better and create a safer community
where we know we can show up for each other. It connects us with our
essence, we are radically generous creatures, we just got a little
lost in systems that are not designed for our wellness.
Alinkers change lives, here are a few people
GO TO CROWDFUND, WHY, HOW, START
Who is the Alinker for?
The Alinker is for people who want to stay active, regardless of mobility challenges.
To operate and use the Alinker you must have the ability to:
- walk to some degree
- flex and extend your legs
- bear weight on one leg briefly while getting on and off the Alinker
- be consciously aware of your surroundings
- be aware of your ability and limitations
What is the Alinker?
The Alinker is an exceptionally cool, three-wheeled walking bike
for humans with mobility constraints. It’s not a medical device,
it’s a lifestyle tool, designed to enable users to lead active and
socially engaged lives — at eye level.
On the Alinker, users sit upright -- at eye level with standing
companions. Weight is supported by the seat with no stress on the
lower body, while handle bars provide additional support. Feet remain
on the ground, keeping users stable and safe.
GO TO CROWDFUND, WHY, HOW, START
Together we'll make this work, in kindness and from the heart
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