TULSA, Okla. — Last Friday Lindsey Spoon, who has cerebral palsy, says she stood up for the first time since she was a child.

“My wheelchair provider contacted me and said we have this chair we would love for you to try it out because they knew I wanted to stand up and do more independent things,” she said.

In last few days she had some big firsts — getting plates out of a cabinet, turning on an oven, and even doing things while standing while working at the food pantry.

“This is giving me opportunities to make coffee standing up which I have ever done before and today was the first time I could do that and one of my coworkers started crying,” she said.

Unfortunately, she says this chair isn’t covered by her insurance. She got it Friday as a loaner to see how much difference it could make in her life.

“Seeing my life from where I am now with my current chair and demo chair, I am a completely different person,” she said.

It’s not just day to day things, she says her life changed physically and her health improved.

“I am in love with this chair, and I don’t want to take it back. but I must,” Spoon said.

She says her Medicaid won’t cover it. Online, Medicaid’s policy for power seat elevation features or power standing features are “non-covered because they are not primarily medical in nature.”

Her mother, Wendy Spoon, said it should be a medical necessity to stand.

“I would say they should live a day in her shoes before they make that judgement,” Wendy Spoon said.

She said all that is covered is her original power chair which only allows her to get around but never stand.

Lindsey and her family started a GoFundMe to try and raise costs to buy the newer chair. Her family says insurance will only cover the base without the standing function and they would need more than $20,000 to afford it.

TRENDING NEWS:

©2022 Cox Media Group