Steinbach teen to receive gift from Tabs for Wheelchairs

A local teen has been selected to receive a new wheelchair by Tabs for Wheelchairs.

Thirteen-year-old Delainey Disna will receive her chair next June and fundraising has already started.

“(I think it’s) awesome,” said Delainey’s mother Shannon Broesky. “It’s been well received in the school and even in the community. All the schools are collecting for her – local restaurants, businesses that have been collecting for her – and its cool to see everybody jump in on this and be a part of it and be excited to help collect these tabs.”

Delainey is described by her mother as funny, energetic, playful, and goofy.

“She is like a friend to everybody. She kind of has a loud presence. Usually, you know when she’s in a room. People can sense just good energy from her,” said Broesky.

Delainey was born with Trisomy 13 which is a rare genetic condition where a person has three copies of genetic material from chromosome 13, instead of the usual two copies. She also had a cleft palate and lip, holes in her heart, enlarged cystic kidneys, she is blind in one eye, and she has scoliosis. Only 13 percent of those with Trisomy 13 live to the age of 10.

“It’s affected her growth and development,” said Broesky.

Broesky said Delainey’s chair is falling apart as screws fall off as do wheels. She said Delainey has outgrown her chair with the head rest now being at shoulder height.

“A basic chair like this is anywhere between $5,000 to $7,000 dollars. I don’t have that kind of money. That’s car loan money.”

It roughly takes Tabs for Wheelchairs 350 grain bags filled with tabs to get one wheelchair depending on the cost of the wheelchair and the value of the aluminum at the time. To purchase a $6,000 wheelchair about 14 million tabs weighing 9,500 pounds is needed. To purchase a $10,000 wheelchair, 24 million tabs weighing about 16,000 pounds is needed. In the Southeast, Quality Metal Recovery in Zhoda will pay Tabs for Wheelchairs top dollar for aluminum at 90-cents per pound.

“Just the fact that it’s such a simple thing to do and it can change other people’s lives. And the more people we have helping, the more chairs we can get for these children,” said Tabs for Wheelchairs founder Gwen Buccini. “We all wonder what can we do for someone else…all they have to do is save tabs. And one, two, three (tabs) sound like nothing but they get 10, 20, 30 and with everyone else’s 10, 20, 30 look what’s happened here… Everybody in the pot together creates a miracle in a way.”

There are 150 schools, businesses, and organizations in the Southeast that are helping to collect tabs for Tabs for Wheelchairs. This is all thanks to organizer Bob Barrow who for the past 10 years has been running the Tabs for Wheelchairs in this corner of the province.

“The Southeast has been very good,” he said.

With a partnership that started in 2017 with Trailblazers, Barrow has been able to collect not just tabs but now cans as well. Trailblazers is a non-profit organization that supports adults living with intellectual disabilities.

“For those people (in wheelchairs) it would mean being able to live a more inclusive life. It’s an extension of their bodies so it represents who they are and gives them better abilities to be able to go and live their day to day lives,” said Celine Harris, day program coordinator for Trailblazers.

Those wishing to drop off tabs can do so at Stonybrook Middle School or at one of the 150 locations around the Southeast or at Trailblazers in Steinbach. Trailblazers is also accepting cans for Tabs for Wheelchairs which can be dropped off at their location at 11 Highway 12 N next to the new Pizza Hut between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. The organization is also looking for donations to build a shed which will be used to collect cans and tabs after hours.