January 21, 2025
As children grow and develop, REquipment helps families keep up.
When Cashen was two years old, he was evaluated for the equipment he would need while learning and living with multiple disabilities. At the time, he required head and trunk support. It was also assumed he’d take the bus when he was school-aged. As a result, he was provided a large, heavy, specialized stroller equipped to secure him.
Towards the end of the pandemic, however, he was going to PT. “And suddenly,” his mom, Katie, explaines, “he could sit up and walk short distances.” He no longer needed the trunk and head support, and because his school placement was so close to home, Katie took him to school in his car seat, anyway.
Cashen needed something developmentally appropriate, and Katie needed something she could travel with.
“It doesn’t even fit in our car.”
As a mom and special educator, Katie knew MassHealth wouldn’t replace the stroller. Technically, it still fit Cashen. Also, it had taken many months to get, and the process to replace it was daunting.
Finally, last spring, the issue hit a boiling point. “We were headed on vacation, and I couldn’t manage that stroller with all his other equipment.”
Luckily, she’d heard of REquipment.
REquipment provides free, gently used, durable medical equipment and assistive technology to anyone in Massachusetts who requests it. Delivery is available for just $20. (“Which is amazing,” notes Katie.)
In the online inventory, Katie spotted the perfect wheelchair for Cashen. “It was his size and fit and lightweight. I can even lift it with one arm.”
Cashen received a beautiful pediatric Aero Z.
“We took it to South Carolina and back. Through all the airports.”
Now, it goes everywhere with them.
“It fits inside my car. It gets him into the community. A lot of places don’t allow strollers, but they accept wheelchairs.
Cashen can even enjoy self-propelling in flat areas.
“Thank you for all that you do,” Katie wrote to us. “Your organization is absolutely amazing.”
