Medical Supply Drives Held in Boston and Braintree

From Empower Energies:

BRAINTREE, MA - Sunday September 11th and Tuesday September 13th, there will be a medical supply drive at Braintree Fire Station to collect desperately needed supplies for disabled affected by the floods in Louisiana. A second medical supply drive will occur September 16-18 at the Abilities Expo at The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

There are 163 individuals living with tracheostomies in the flood zones in Louisiana, and many more people with disabilities or who are medically fragile and technology-dependent who have lost everything in this devastating flood. In addition to typical needs during this recovery effort there are greater specialized needs of these families.

The supply drives are to collected supplies for patients with trachs & ventilators, feeding tubes, port and central IV lines, catheters, diapers and incontinence supplies. Patients in need range from infants to the elderly living with complications of prematurity, cerebral palsy, mitochondrial disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) other neuromuscular diseases, and other rare diseases. We are working with Trach Mommas of Louisiana and Portlight Inclusive Disaster Strategies to get the supplies into the hands of the people who need them most.

Volunteers are especially needed for sorting the supplies at the Abilities Expo September 16-18, as well as for packing up and moving supplies out 4-6pm Sunday September 18th. Additionally, if anyone local is willing to volunteer to drive a moving truck down to Louisiana, larger durable medical equipment can also be donated and transported to those who lost equipment in the flooding.

For more information, lists of supplies needed or how you can help, visit www.medicalsupplyrelief.com

Drive Locations:
Braintree Fire Department
1 Union Pl, Braintree MA
Sunday Sept 11, 12-2:30pm
Tuesday Sept 13, 5-8pm

Abilities Expo Boston
The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
Friday, Sept 16 - Fri. 11am-5pm
Saturday, Sept 17 - Sat. 11am-5pm
Sunday, Sept 18 - Sun 11am-4pm
www.abilities.com

MitoAction Energy Walk and 5K
DCR Mother’s Rest, South Boston
Sunday September 18, 9am-12pm
www.mitoaction.org

About the Boston/Braintree Organizer:
Crystal Evans is a 35-year-old member of the Braintree Commission on Disabilities, mother to her 6-year-old daughter, Sophie, and is living with neuromuscular disease. Crystal is ventilator-dependent and relies on a wheelchair for mobility. Following Superstorm Sandy, Crystal lead an effort to get supplies to a ventilator-dependent man with mitochondrial myopathy in lower Manhattan during the week-long power outage.

Image via Shutterstock.