Two Days Grace

Medical chairs are donated on a Tuesday.
Thursday, they play the hero during a tornado.

On August 6, 2024, Blossom Hill, a team of more than 100 compassionate professionals who enhance the daily lives of individuals with profound disabilities, received a donation of five medical reclining chairs from MedWish International, a nonprofit organization that repurposes surplus medical supplies and equipment.

No one had any way of knowing how important those chairs would become just 48 hours later.

Blossom Hill sought the donation to furnish the new Abilities Enrichment Center, its first-ever day program, located in a 25,000 square foot space in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. The organization had modestly requested only two chairs, but MedWish offered three more and Blossom Hill’s leadership accepted.

High-end medical chairs like those donated by MedWish are essential to the therapies required at centers like Abilities. A lift chair is a powered recliner that lifts the user from sitting to standing with two to three positions. Powered reclining lift chairs are ideal for users who suffer from arthritis, balance issues, hip strength, or degenerative diseases. They allow our individuals to move from wheelchairs to other chairs, a change in position that helps protects them from developing sores.

Two Days Later

In three suburbs surrounding its new Middleburg Heights-based Abilities Enrichment Center, Blossom Hill operates four 24/7 residential care homes, group homes that foster a sense of community and belonging through shared meals, activities, and routines. Just two days after the chairs arrived, on August 8, a series of tornados struck the Cleveland area, challenging these communities.

Within hours of the storm, it was reported two of Blossom Hill’s homes had lost power and the outage was expected to last days. The individuals who live there would need to evacuate and find a safe place to spend the night.

Leaving home, even for just one night, was already a major disruption for individuals who cherish routine. Some higher-functioning individuals were able to stay in a local hotel. For others, having to sleep in a hotel could have added to an already stressful situation. Thankfully, Blossom Hill leadership had made their own luck.

The newly built and still uninaugurated Abilities Enrichment Center was unaffected by the storm. Having power was a must, but so was the ability for individuals to be moved from their wheelchairs. Abilities was able to serve that need as well, as it was blessed with the five newly donated reclining chairs that could act as temporary beds for the night.

Because the chairs are on lockable wheels, they were easily moved to set up a temporary sleeping area. The portability also aided in transferring wheelchair-bound individuals into the recliners.

Twenty-plus individuals were taken to Abilities for the day. Though many were eventually able to be transferred to nearby hotels, five remained within the center’s safe confines for the night. Familiar staff was nearby and, because Abilities also has a cafeteria, meals were provided as normal.

“It’s remarkable that these chairs had arrived at Abilities just two days before,” said Lori Inks, Blossom Hill director of development. “It enabled us to keep our individuals comfortable in an emergency situation. I don’t know what we would have done without them.”

The gift demonstrates that all donations are appreciated, and some are timelier than others.

The need for donations is ongoing, of course. This tornado-related event has focused the need for automatic backup generators at Blossom Hill’s residential care homes. However, each home will need electrical re-wiring to accommodate generator power, as well as purchase of the actual generator. Total price tag is estimated at approximately $50,000 for each house.

“This is part of what we do. The generosity of the community helps us to provide for residents the kinds of personal items and amenities that transform a house into a home, and to buy items to improve our residents’ quality of life,” explained Inks. “The mission is enduring because it is measured in lives lived. Every tomorrow reveals another need, and then we find a way.”