stories

Recently we received a letter that made our day — what a story.
We love happy endings!

In 1975 I was injured in a farming accident and ended up a T10 paraplegic. For the first seven years, I used a naugahyde-covered foam cushion. I was able to sit up three to five hours before having pressure sore issues. I then switched to a Roho air cushion and was able to extend my sitting time to five to six hours before having issues.

As I aged, my sitting time slowly decreased. I found a $5000 electric pulsating air cushion and thought my problems were over. I worked directly with the company, but, unfortunately, had terrible results no matter what we did.

Over these 30 years, I spent half to three quarters of my waking time in bed either trying to prevent a pressure sore or recovering from one.

I then learned Mayo Clinic was starting a seating clinic for anyone in a wheelchair. I decided to make an appointment to see what they had to offer.

At the appointment, they put me on a pressure mapping pad and told me they had the perfect solution. I had been through several pressure mapping sessions at other places, so I was skeptical of their comment.

They brought out a Ride Java Cushion and for the next half hour, I got on and off the cushion while they shaped it to the reading on the pressure map. They were soon satisfied and said stay in town to try it for a few days. I was naturally very skeptical — I was going back to a simple, economical foam cushion like I had used 40 years before. I stayed in town and tried it for several different time periods.

No matter what length of time I spent sitting, I never had any red areas. I went back so they could re-look at the pressure map.  They said nothing had changed and I was good to go. I went back home and was soon sitting up 8 to 10 hours per day with absolutely no red spots or any areas showing any kind of pressure problem.

I have used the cushion over five years now with not one single issue.  I can easily sit up 18 hours at a time with no problem. After being in a wheelchair for 45 of my 66 years, it is a miracle.

Ride has always responded promptly to any of the many questions I have asked. I recently bought a second cushion to have as a spare even though I have not noticed much wear on my first.

I can’t say enough good about the Java Cushion and the team at Ride. They have given me my life back.

Sincerely,
Gary K.

Kudos to Gary for his persistence. We’re so glad he discovered Ride’s Java Cushion to be a great fit for his sit-uation. Thank you for writing!

Read more user success stories here and learn more about the Ride Java Cushion here.