Cypress Woman Embarks On Mission Of Love To Deliver Wheelchairs

HOUSTON — A local woman took part in a mission of mercy recently to help provide wheelchairs to disabled seniors and children in Costa Rica. To say that Derinda Keiser’s life was impacted by helping so many in the Central American country would be an understatement.

“There are 70 million people in the world who need wheelchairs, and their way of getting around is crawling, or perhaps they don’t get to go outside,” Keiser told Patch. “One man had [no] mobility for 17 years. Can you imagine laying in a room for 17 years?”

Keiser, who is the social media manager for Right At Home in Cypress, was in Costa Rica to help the representatives with Free Wheelchair Mission assemble and distribute specialized wheelchairs to many who'd never experienced mobility.

Unlike in area of the U.S. where wheelchairs and walkers are more widely available, in remote areas like Costa Rica a wheelchair for someone who needs it is nearly priceless.

Those people who needed them the most were identified through Free Wheelchair Mission, who along with Derinda and other volunteers, helped assemble the wheelchairs, load them up and deliver them.

“The first one took about an hour,” Keiser said.

Each day the group would load several of the wheelchairs, traveling several hours to find these families.

“One of the areas had just four water spigots for the entire neighborhood, and that’s because some humanitarian came in and laid the pipe,” Keiser said. “That really tugs at your heart.”

While in that neighborhood, they visited 15-year-old Justo to present him with his wheelchair.

“These people were so loving and they appreciated everything so much,” Keiser said. “That was wonderful to know that you’re changing lives.”

The group delivered 30 of the 60 assembled wheelchair during the week Keiser was in Costa Rica, with the rest held to be delivered to families later on.

Click the links to learn more about Right At Home or Free Wheelchair Mission.

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Image: Free Wheelchair Mission

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