Ron Wilson performed a pitch for funding for lightship capital, and we are ready to pitch again
WAT's Founding
THE INJURY
"I became an electrician in 1984 after military service with the US Marines. On June 7, 1993, I was in a life-threatening industrial accident that resulted in becoming paralyzed with a C-6 C-7 incomplete injury. I had repaired a bucket elevator and I was inspecting it and I slipped. My finger got caught between the belt and the wall, and it pulled me in and down towards the boot wheel – and it broke my elbow severely, broke my neck, and crushed my left side. I was admitted to the University of Michigan for a spinal cord injury and spent six months in the hospital for treatment."
-Ron Wilson
THE PROBLEM
"The U of M unit was a wonderful unit as far as spinal cord injury care goes. I spent six months there. It would have been longer but at the end of my sixth month, I told them I was leaving. And the doctor said “Mr. Wilson, you can’t leave,” and I said, “Watch me”. He said, “Okay Ron, give me 30 days and I’ll get you home.” Because I felt I was doomed to taking bed baths, I was determined to get back home. While I received wonderful care, even if the unit did bed baths effectively, for a long-term solution it’s very unhygienic. You don’t feel clean and you’re not as clean as you should be. One of the most troubling challenges I faced after my injury was being unable to thoroughly clean my body and remove odor."
-Ron Wilson
MY INITIAL RESPONSE
"When I made it back home to my new apartment, I found it difficult to keep clean consistently with only intermittent showers and baths. Through conversations with doctors and caregivers, I discovered the scope of this problem for people with disabilities and caregivers –and that the current market for adaptive technology was extremely restricted, especially in affordability and effectiveness. In 1997, I built my own house in order to better accommodate myself, installing my own custom-made shower in my bathroom. I was able to get into my shower. I was so grateful. I mean, I cried and scrubbed myself raw."
-Ron Wilson
THE BIGGER SOLUTION
"About 5 years ago, I had a check-up with my doctor. To his doctor’s surprise, I didn’t have “the ungodly, awful body odor” that he was accustomed to from “people in my condition.” And it really got me thinking about this because you know I lived it and know that it was offensive to me and offensive to others. I often encounter people that don’t want to look at me, people that don’t want to see me. You don’t want to [give] people another reason to avoid you because, I mean, it gets so bad that you don’t want to stand still. I thought, I was fortunate enough to solve this challenge for myself, but I never pushed to find an affordable solution for others who have mobility issues and face struggles of hygiene due to lack of accessibility. That’s when we really got to work."