(Oct. 13) - The man best known as the "Wheelchair Recycler" has spent the past 11 years building and fixing power chairs for the people with the greatest need, but who often could not otherwise afford one.
Permanently paralyzed in a car accident in 1995, David Heim, 47, of Marlborough, Mass., knows what a wheelchair means for a disabled person: "Independence. That's the greatest thing."
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People Doing Good
David Heim, center, runs a nonprofit, WheelchairRecycler.org, that repairs and builds power chairs to fit the needs of disabled clients who might not otherwise be able to access or afford one. Sitting on examples of their work, Heim is pictured with his kids, Joe and Samantha, at a "Kicking it for Kids Who Can't" awareness event on Oct. 11 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
David Heim
David Heim
"You can't be without your chair for a week, let alone a day," he told NBC Nightly News.
His nonprofit organization takes used wheelchairs and refurbishes them with other donated parts. The work ranges from quick repairs to custom-made jobs, but each one is personalized to address the client's individual needs.
Heim has helped over 500 people across the country, and even internationally, since he first started his company.
"When I go into any rehab, or see anybody, I don't see their face first. I look at their chair -- what's wrong with it, are they comfortable, how are they positioned," Heim told NBC News.
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Heim's chairs typically sell for $800-$1,000, a fraction of what a chair would typically run. Though Heim's shop is struggling itself to break even, he often gives away chairs or services to people who can't pay.
When The Christopher Reeve Foundation learned of Heim's charitable works, it donated the late actor's chair. Its parts were used to fix six other people's power chairs. The foundation also provided two grants that allowed the Wheelchair Recycler to buy vans to pick up donations.
Heim envisions operations like his existing in every state, and is now working to make that happen: "It can't stop with just this one shop."
For more details, visit NBC Nightly News and USA Today.
To find out more about Heim's operation, visit wheelchairrecycler.org.
