New from North Carolina, USA

[hobie1dog]

Just found this site and the marvelous modified wheelchairs we all want and need. I just had a friend give me a Invacare Pronto M61 powerchair with dead batteries. About 2 years ago I started losing most of my muscles in my arms and legs due to getting an auto-immune disorder called CIDP- Chronic Inflammatory Demylenating Polyneuropathy. It allows your immune system to attack the nerves and strip the myelin sheath (coating) off and killing the nerves. I've lost about 90% of the nerves in my arms and legs, thus having the nerves tell the muscles what to do, losing about 70% of the muscles. I can walk but not very long, and with terrible balance so I've been using a walker or canes so far. I quit working last March and have being getting poor since then. So we are now selling the house and will likely be going into an apartment when I'll get new batteries for my wheelchair. There are paths trails all around the complex we are looking at moving to. Anyway I use to be multi-craft facilities mechanic specializing in HVAC/Refrigeration, but at Owens Corning R&D Center, McDonnell Douglas, and others, they expected us to do everything we came across. Now I'm sitting around watching the bird feeder and trying to find the end of the Internet. These are the things I did in my former life:

Kart road racing:



Motorcycles:



Trumpet playing:


Driving fast cars:



Speaker building- 8 ft long sub with (4) 18" drivers:



8ft tall line arrays:


Scuba diving:


So now I have downsized and sold all the toys, and try to get down to starting to build some high power rockets again, and learn to fly the 2meter R/C sailplane I bought before I got ill. My wife will be able to help me with both of these and the power wheelchair will get me around the flying fields. I'll still be into the audio/hi-fi world as my son owns a high end subwoofer company that makes a 24" driver that moves 4 1/2" of travel. http://www.stereointegrity.com I'll look forward to participating in the forum.

Marty

[Burgerman]

I love how your garage is as clean as my house!

[hobie1dog]

John: Just a quick thank you for such a great site. I have have spent many hours on here gathering ideas for a future wheelchair project. Being a former shade tree mechanic, field engineer, I realize how much we think alike ( polishing the heads of every SS socket head cap screw we install). This site is keeping my sane for now.