https://gofund.me/dc605a963
Hello my name is Jeff. I was born with extensive club feet. I’ve had over 15 surgeries and procedures in my youth that never fully corrected my condition. Due to deterioration with age, I had my right lower leg amputated in January 2026, and am no longer weight bearing on my left side. As such I have become a full time wheelchair user.
I am unemployed and currently going through the lengthy process of getting approved for disability. I rely on Medicaid, SNAP, and the Massachusetts EAEDC program for living resources.
Recently Medicaid has approved for me to get a custom, light weight wheelchair (a TiLite X), however the rules only allow it to be configured for indoor use. This specifically means it comes with 24” wheels with solid tires, intended to be used on flat, even surfaces.
I live in Boston which is a difficult city for a wheelchair user due to harsh weather, narrow or non-existent sidewalks, along with roads and sidewalks that are made with brick pavers/cobblestones, and are in rough condition due to age, frost heaves, and tree roots. These conditions make using a wheelchair extremely challenging and puts extreme extra wear on the chair itself.
Unlike the more expensive rigid carbon fiber or titanium framed chairs, the TiLite X is an aluminum folding chair. These types of wheelchairs have a higher rate of breaking, most often caused by being susceptible to fatigue cracking caused by vibration as well as hard jolts from rough terrain and curb jumping (Wheelchair curb jumping (also called curb hopping) is an advanced manual wheelchair skill used to navigate up or down a sidewalk curb independently without needing a ramp or a curb cut.)
As I do not have a car, I will be using my wheelchair outdoors frequently in all types of Boston conditions. In order to help my chair last as long as possible (Medicaid and Insurance will only replace every 5 years) and make my use of it easier, I am seeking funding to upgrade the wheels, tires, hand rims, and casters to suit these conditions.
Wheels - Change from 24” to 25” wheels, this will reduce rolling resistance and ease going over the many cracks and bumps. This also adds some height when going through puddles and slush.
Tires - Change the tires from solid 24” to 25” Kenda Nevegal pneumatic tires. Because these are adapted from mountain bike tires, and filled with air, they provide shock absorption, and reduce stress on the chairs frame. These are aggressive tread “knobby” tires which give traction in snow, ice, and wet conditions, whereas solid wheelchairs tires have minimal tread and slide and get stuck in such conditions. As their true outer diameter on 25” wheels is 26” this will also improve rolling resistance, ease curb hopping, and add height for puddles and slush.
Handrims: As there will be times when I’ll need to be on the side of the road close to traffic, I would like to put on orange anodized hand rims. These are more durable in outdoor conditions and the orange color is a safety feature to help drivers see me.
Caster forks and wheels - Casters (the small wheels on the front of a manual wheelchair) often come with a compromise: Smaller casters make maneuverability a lot easier as they allow for tighter turns. In an old city like Boston where tight turns are needed both inside and outside due to narrow spaces, this is crucial. Larger Casters ( like the 6” ones that My chair has) on the other hand roll over bumps and cracks more easily but create larger turn radiuses for the chair. There is a solution called Frog Legs that solves both these issues. Frog Legs make shock absorbing caster forks and wheels for wheelchairs. By replacing the stock ones that come with my chair with these and their 4” caster wheels. I can further reduce stress on my chair frame, make pushing my chair easier, and have greater maneuverability.
Here is a list of parts I am trying to acquire:
25" Kenda Nevegal Wheelchair Tires ~$80.00 without tax and shipping
25" Vapor X wheels ~$700.00 without tax and shipping
25" Anodized Wheelchair Push Rims ~$125.00 without tax and shipping
Schwalbe Aerothan Tube 26" MTB ~$35.00 without tax and shipping
Frog Legs II Suspension fork with Whisper Caster ~$500.00