In December 2021, 2LIV4 chose Timothy Ketcham as one of our Trionic Veloped giveaway winners. This is his story.
I am a Veteran with pulmonary fibrosis and balance issues. I use a walker and a service dog for daily life. Being a Montana boy, I love the outdoors and mountains. After becoming disabled three years ago, I had to curb my time hiking in the mountains because of a lack of accessibility with my previous walker. The wheels made it impossible to even go on a moderately rough trail, and if there was rain or snow, the walker became completely inoperable. Most of the time, I sat on my deck looking at the mountains, imagining what it was like to spend time by a roaring stream enjoying nature. Once the snow came, even a simple walk down the sidewalk took an extreme amount of effort.
I had been saving to purchase a Veloped walker for some time because the Veterans Affairs would not assist in the purchase. Now that I won one, I will be able to overcome many of the obstacles that prevent me from enjoying life as it used to be. There is not another walker on the market that could give me the freedom of movement the Veloped does.
Now that I received my Veloped, I will be putting together a photographic journey of myself exploring the Beartooth Mountains between Montana and Wyoming at an elevation of over 10,000 feet. The Veloped gives me the ability to get out of my car and enjoy hiking again.
2LIV4 thanks Trionic and our generous donors for helping us provide Timothy with the equipment needed for him to realize his 2LIV4 moments for years to come. If you’d like to support us as we seek to make this happen for more of our readers, please click the Donate button below. Your contribution, whether big or small, helps put us closer to fulfilling our perpetual vision of assisting individuals with disabilities in making their 2LIV4s possible.