At one time, it was easy enough for Debra Roush to simply carry her son Robert Martin in and out of the house. Approaching age 4, however, Robert is growing, despite Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
Debra would carry Robert to the car and rush in to get his equipment and pediatric wheelchair.
Now, it’s never been easier for the two of them, or even for another caretaker, to get out of the house, which has a short flight of steps leading to the entry. With an Amramp modular wheelchair ramp, Debra can pack up Robert’s pediatric wheelchair and easily walk down the ramp, no more EMT gurneys.
Amramp franchisee Pathfinder Services heard Robert and Debra’s story through Huntington, Indiana-based Kids Kampus organization.
The Pathfinder Foundation grant allowed Amramp’s patented steel ramp to be installed at their home free of charge.
Debra told The Huntington Herald-Press newspaper, she couldn’t believe it. “Things have never come easily like this for us, or just given to us. I’m so thankful for them.”
According to the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation, “SMA is a rare, inherited disease characterized by muscle atrophy and loss of motor function, caused by the absence of or defect in the Survival Motor Neuron 1 gene.”
Spinal Muscular Atrophy varies widely, but even if moderate function and mobility are often limited. According to the foundation, “People with SMA either never acquire, or progressively lose, the ability to walk, stand, sit, and eventually move.”
Quality of life can be enhanced with multidisciplinary therapies, the foundation says, noting: “children with SMA undergo normal intellectual and emotional development and, with help and support, can participate in many childhood activities” – all the more reason to make life a bit easier for both Debra and Robert.
Your home should be welcoming you, not worrying you.
Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate.
Please contact Amramp’s National Call Center at 888-715-7598.
