Although we had finished the ride, we had one more important day ahead of us. A visit to Invacare. The plan all along was to finish at the factory where my chair had been built and to acknowledge those who had a hand at creating the equipment that allows me such incredible independence.

We woke up early in Columbus and loaded up for a two-hour drive to Elyria. It was a nice drive, much of it through Amish country where we would pass the occasional horse-drawn buggy. When we finally arrived, we all jumped out of the van and wanted to get a picture in front of the big Invacare world headquarters sign in front of the building. While we were goofing off getting our photo, we noticed quite the shindig just around the corner from where we were.

There was the Invacare arch, a giant tent with tables and chairs underneath and a lot of people mingling around. We headed straight over and I immediately felt pretty special. The first person I saw was Sandy Habecker, one of my main contacts and someone I admire and respect deeply. Her smile was huge and shortly after greeting me she began to introduce me to the many folks who had gathered.

There were two other wheelchair users in attendance and I quickly went to introduce myself. I first greeted Kelly Hanlin who was easy to chat with, was quite the advocate and had worked at the Columbus Zoo. She’s awesome! I then spoke with Addison Delp. I liked him immediately. The first thing he said to me was, “I’m going to beat your record”! He is a senior in high school, dabbles in power soccer and loves getting his chair dirty. We are certainly birds of a feather. I look forward to connecting with both of them more in the future.

We then settled in for some socializing, got some pictures and the team had some lunch (which Invacare had provided for the whole company and guests) while I continued chatting with the growing crowd. I soon realized that many of the individuals were workers from the factory floor. I immediately began expressing my gratitude for having a hand in building the chair that continues to allow me to live my best life. I got a little emotional talking with some of these folks. They take a lot of pride in their work and I really tried to convey the importance of that work to those of us who depend on their craftsmanship. They are truly unsung heroes. I then had a quick interview with a local journalist before heading off on a tour of the factory.

The Invacare world headquarters factory is pretty freaking cool. You get to see raw metal coming into the plant and that raw metal being turned into a wheelchair in just one day. Between the fabricating, metal processing, painting, assembly and testing it is spectacular to see the process unfold in real time.

One particularly special moment was when we were halfway through the tour and factory floor workers asked if they could all get a picture with me. Individuals started joining our group from all over the factory and I was soon surrounded with those who had completely assembled my chair a couple years prior. I gushed with appreciation and was pretty humbled they all wanted a photo with me.

After the tour, me, Kelly, Addison and a number of engineers got together to discuss what we loved and didn’t love about our power wheelchairs. It’s wonderful to have the ear of the company who is providing the equipment that allows me to live a full life and be immersed in the outdoors. I, of course, emphasize the current limitations with range in their SP2 line. Lithium batteries or more efficient motors could resolve this issue. We discussed suspension, light packages, current rollback, tires, tiedown loops, the electronics package, the challenges of flying and much more.

They recognize the need for equipment that works well for people with an active lifestyle. I feel I’ve already demonstrated that the chair holds up quite well to difficult terrain and weather. In addition, I’ve shown the chair will run for 24 hours straight. These are pretty rigorous, real-world trials to put a chair through and it continues to be my daily driver.

Finally, before we left, we were able to utilize their shipping department to get the bikes and the lithium battery shipped back to the West Coast.

It was a beautiful finish to a beautiful ride. I am so thankful to Invacare. They’ve been our platinum sponsor for years now and they continue to manufacture wheelchairs that allow people with limited mobility to live their best life. Most importantly, they take feedback from their users to continue to improve the products that me and the wheelchair community utilize. I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the company that provides me with such independence.

Proud partner of: