Adventure is necessary for wheelchair users

Angie Lupe uses her Magic Mobility Extreme X8 wheelchair to go on adventures

Getting outdoors is considered significantly important to our mental health and wellbeing, and for many of us in a wheelchair, it’s even more so.

Angie Lupe lives in Troy, NY, is a veteran of the Iraq war and now restricted to her chair. But Angie is used to getting out and about, and being an active member of society. To her there is nothing worse than the idea of being held back, not being able to get outside.

“I challenge everyone to borrow a wheelchair, and go through just 24hrs living life in it,” said Angie. “To include going to a busy place like a mall, bathing or preparing meals, without using your legs or feet at all. It has to be experienced, a sliver of a glimpse into our world, minus the physical, mental and emotional pain we also have.”

Angie’s thirst for adventure meant that she was seeking the best solution in mobility in all terrains. Angie settled on the Magic Mobility Extreme X8, a power machine that helps her engage with all of the activities she thought were out of reach.

“I ordered the Extreme X8 at the end of March 2015, and when it arrived I literally hugged the delivery man. I named it the ‘Green Monster’ the high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team,” she said.

“Words cannot express how my Magic Mobility Extreme X8 wheelchair makes me feel.”

When we asked Angie Lupe what special activities her Magic Mobility Extreme X8 enabled her to do that she previously struggled with, she didn’t hesitate. “I enjoy being outdoors. Being paraplegic and also losing more and more upper body strength, makes that a challenge. With my Extreme X8 I go camping at John Dillon Park (my favourite place) and I can go hiking, fishing and just relaxing with my family. I love nature and wildlife, especially birds since being in the chair. My X8 makes it possible for me to get out and about on different terrain. This is very therapeutic for me’’.

For Angie, the Magic Mobility came at a much needed time because her leg spasms were getting so bad that she would end up laying down, or propped up in a sitting position for hours in order to get the pain to cease. She would reconsider going outdoors, or leaving home, just in case the pain returned. However now with her Magic Mobility Extreme X8, Angie simply engages the tilt recline feature, and changes her position wherever she is.

“I felt empowered because I knew I would be able to get back out and do the things I missed, without the fear of my body forcing me to leave.”

Angie’s latest adventures have included being able to finally to visit the beach, and really enjoy her time with her friends and family.

“I’ve been worried about going to the beach because every time I’ve been there, I’ve become stuck in the sand, and it takes hours to get me out. But when I took the Green Monster down there, I let her rip and off I went on the beach!

“I was like a kid at Christmas, riding all over the place and even down to the surf. What an intense feeling. I was high on freedom and I hadn’t felt like that for a long time.”

Have you tried an Extreme X8 yourself, yet? Maybe it’s time.