Wheelchair Interviews

A view of southern Quito.  We spent 2 days doing follow up wheelchair interviews on people who had received a wheelchair that the church had donated to our partner here in Ecuador. We are trying to find out if the wheelchair is the correct size and if there are any problems with it.  The chairs are all ordered from China.

This is our driver, Pablo Rivera.  He is a member of our ward here in Quito.  He used to be a taxi driver but now runs his own business.  He knows the whole city so he was a great help to us finding all the addresses of the people who had received wheelchairs.  He told us he grew up very poor in a one room house with 3 beds for 7 children and his parents.  He joined the church when he was 15 and that changed his life.  He served a mission in Guayquil on the southern coast.  He and his wife Juanita have 3 children and he is the high priest group leader in the Colon ward.

The first person we visited had just died so the son sat in the wheelchair for us because he said he was about the same size as his mother.  He is a member of the church and will give the wheelchair to his bishop so he can give it to someone else who needs it.

We took some shots along our way.  Here is your corner meat market.  Anyone hungry??

We got lost along the way so Dad had to ask directions.  Here he is at a store asking for help.  The store has a barred entrance as there is a lot of crime in the area.

When we got to this woman's house she was sitting on the floor sweeping.  She used to live in the country but was raped and now has a daughter.  She has moved into Quito with other family members.

This is her home.  She lives on the 2nd floor with her brother and his family.  She has no way of getting outside unless someone can manuver her chair down some very steep stairs.

This young man has been disabled since birth.  He kept trying to kiss me!!!

We stopped and asked this man for directions.  Even though he is blind he is trying to earn a living by selling toilet paper.  $1 for a package.

Lots of cement homes on the hillside.  Here in Quito the rich live in the valleys and the poor on the hillside.

This man lost his leg in a car accident.  He makes things out of leather to try and sell.

This gentleman had a stroke 7 years ago that left him paralyzed on one side.  Here he is with his wife.

This little boy had something wrong with his legs.  He was born at 27 weeks so had a lot of health problems.  He was content crawling on the floor. 

He hated sitting in his wheelchair but we needed a picture to go along with our report.  He sat in it for a second but cried.  The chair is way to big for him but they just use it when they have to take him to his physical therapy.

Here he is with his mother who is expecting a baby in another month.

This little girl is the big sister of the little boy in the above pictures.  We saw that they had a picture of Greg Olsen in their home.  They are not members of the church but had this picture.  They said they bought it because they thought their daughter looked like the little girl in the picture

Another wheelchair recipient.  She lives with her daughter and she was very grateful for the chair so she could move her mother around and take her places.

A pig hanging at the side of the road.  You just pick the piece you want and they cut it off for you!!!

This young 15 year old girl loves her wheelchair so she can go to school.  She wants to travel to the United States for a visit.