"Playing in the park with my grandson [is] just the best . . . [He's] just shy of 3 years old. If it were not for this chair, I could not have taken the trip through the Garden with my family. Feeling very blessed and grateful."

“We just did our first international trip to Costa Rica . . . I will say that to go on the beach of the Pacific Ocean at sun down made it all worth it.”

John McConnell, a 14-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, used the GRIT Freedom Chair to help fulfill his wish to participate in the reenactment of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, commemorating the start of the American Revolution.

"I like nature. It was very frustrating that I could not get out. When I got my chair it was amazing, I got back my Freedom. You can get out and do it! One trick in photography is making sure you are steady, with the wheelchair I can lock it up and I have my steadying post right there. It gives me the Freedom to go out there. "

"It’s priceless to me. I can’t drive, and just to have that little extra sense of speed seems to make some type of difference. I don’t feel 'disabled' in it. I feel enabled. I do feel empowered . . .  Things I would put off, now that I’m in my chair, I’m OK. It’s like a modern day chariot. I get tons of compliments on it from the bus driver to people on the street.

"My favorite thing are the beach wheels and being able to go out onto the sand by myself, doing that by myself. Not having to have somebody push me or carry me out there . . . It's really nice to push myself on the beach. The chair makes a huge difference."

It's not just our Freedom Chair Riders that are a part of the GRIT Family. The Freedom Chair experience extends to our riders' loved ones as well. We wanted to highlight those Trail Buddies who accompany our riders on their adventures, and hear about how the Freedom Chair has helped their loved ones. Today's Trail Buddy Spotlight is Kelsom Owens.

"The first weekend I had it I went down to the park, and it was great because I could push around. Some of the trails are gravel and some of them are dirt, but it let me get out and enjoy the fresh air again . . . "Just leaving the pavement; simple things like just going in my backyard . . . This is the best chair I’ve found that can do that."

Tyler Rich is an active 25 year old living with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy. He began participating in obstacle course races after receiving his Freedom Chair, and the activity took on a life of it's own. After logging over 50 official race miles in 2017, Tyler is impressed with the durability of his GRIT Freedom Chair: "The fact that I have been so rough on it and it still works as well as the day I got it is impressive."

The ground was uneven in places and had a thick covering of grass and stones. The Freedom Chair with its levers gave me the ability to move around and get close up to take photos. Carrying my camera gear, a tripod and cell phone was tricky, but I managed to make it work. My chair was a muddy mess, but I loved every minute of it. I am excited by all the possibilities this opens for me, and I look forward to sharing my adventures with you.