We have ramps for our car and this is BIG news around here! Probably seems crazy, but up until recently we've actually been lifting the entire stroller loaded with Gwendolyn and all the machines into the van (the “we” means Bill because it all weighs over 50 pounds). Ramps have clearly been a must for some time now…especially as our butterball is growing so big…but some things just get put on the back-burner!
Little did I know that having ramps has been an entirely new change in accessibility for us — life changing! I can actually take Gwendolyn places on my own now! I can get a whim and go. I can meet friends places. And I can be a mom with my daughter on an adventure. And oh the places you can go in a car! We are fortunate to be able to walk to a lot of neat activities, but now that I can drive — WOW! — there is a lot available to us. And we have been taking advantage of it!
The ramps are called Duro-Med 5' Telescoping Adjustable Wheelchair Ramps and are collapsible so they fold up nicely in the car between trips. And for $120.00 they are a lot less than a modified van!
* For other SMA parents — Up until recently we always drove with two people so someone was always sitting next to Gwendolyn to suction her. The only reason I am able to take her out on my own is because Gwendolyn is managing her secretions so much better now, is not having so many unexpected chokes, and tolerates sitting up slightly so I can see her in the rearview mirror.