Jonathan
devastation
Ongoing headaches revealed a Brain Aneurysm that soon Ruptured. He also suffered a Stroke that caused loss of ALL motor skills, except for eye movement, up and down. This is how Jonathan communicates. After the aneurism and stroke, he now has what Doctors call “Locked In Syndrome” so his brain works fine, but his body does not – to Jonathan, it feels like he is locked inside his own body. They are having to retrain his brain on how to do everything. Jonathan is beginning to talk, but it is difficult to understand him, and he is beginning to regain small movements in his arms and legs.
daily challenges
•Jonathan is now 5’7’’, and weighs 153 lbs. He is too heavy for his mother to lift and dad has a difficult time. Brother Timmy is a great help in lifting him, but the family needs permanent assistance in lifting and transferring.
•Carpet in his bedroom makes it difficult to move his wheelchair, and carpet has buckled due to the weight.
•Hallway is narrow, so it’s very difficult for his wheelchair to make the tight 90 degree turn to get into the bedroom.
•No Place in his bedroom for his wheelchair to sit.
•Difficult to play his games as he doesn’t have a place for the screens and additional equipment.
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design solutions
•Ceiling Track Lift System with motor allows Jonathan to be moved out of the bed and sat down easily into his wheelchair.
•Widened Bedroom door opening and removed the door for easier access into his room.
•Remote control window shades and LED cove lighting that Jonathan can change on his own.
•Less furniture in the room allows space for his wheelchair to plug in and charge.
•Installed an ADA height desk with monitor arm that holds his screens and gaming equipment.
impact
•Physical Relief. The ceiling track system alleviated the physical demand of lifting him. Now mom can move and transport Jonathan out of the bed by herself.
•Independence. Before we left, Jonathan actually worked the remote control for the LED lights on his own. This was a victory for him.
•Encouragement. We wanted him to follow his passion for gaming, even in his wheelchair, he can still play !
*Follow “Jonathan’s Journey” , a Facebook page set up to chronicle his recovery.