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Cheryl-Anne Pratt hasn't added a story.
This is me and my 8 month old Bengal lap warmer Joy.
Hello, I'm Cheryl-Anne a 65 year young mother, grandmother, ministry leader, avid gardener, foodie, wood worker, artist, writer and lover of living life to the fullest.
Musquodoboit Trailway Bridge located in Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada is very near and dear to my heart. As part of the team of dedicated volunteers who fought long and hard to keep the bridges as part of the Rails to Trails/Trans Canada Trail in the early 1990's. I dream of being able to walk across this bridge on my Alinker walking bike, with my Daughter and Granddaughters; 3 generations of trail blazing Gals.
Being outdoors in nature is my happy place. The Trans Canada Trail and local community trails, backroads and logging roads have been my play ground and the greatest part of my recreational lifestyle.
I am a lover of Country Road activities; hiking, mountain biking, ATVing and snowmobiling... living life the "Pretty Way".
As past President of the Drift Climbers Snow Mobile Club, an original Community member of the Nova Scotia Rails to Trails/Trans Canada Trail Committee ; past Director of Snow Mobile Association of Nova Scotia and member of the Nova Scotia Off Road Riders and ATV Association of Nova Scotia my Daughter and Granddaughters have grown up in the great outdoors and are all active in using and maintaining local community trails and developing new ones.
I am a traumatic brain injury survivor who contracted Covid-19 pre-vaccine in March 2020, then in July 2021 Post Treatment Lyme Disease, Lyme meningitis and Lyme Arthritis. This trio has dramatically altered my mobility and I now require a power wheelchair for mobility due to Lyme neuroborreliosis, chronic vertigo and joint damage. I have had 2 hip replacements thus far in an effort to alleviate the pain associated with my condition.
Although there are several all-terrain mobility aids on the market; most require specialized transportation. Living in a rural community accessible transportation is very limited and expensive. I have become socially isolated other than my daily visits from my caregivers and attending physio and medical appointments.
After my recent total hip replacement, my physio therapy team had suggested an Alinker walking bike. They feel it would be the best all around solution for my needs getting my legs moving, blood circulating, it would have benefits for both my physical and mental well being. It is light weight and easily transportable in most vehicles.
This is the last walk I took in nature with my eldest Granddaughter was Easter Sunday 2018. My dream is to be able to stroll along the Trans Canada Trail with my Daughter and Granddaughters and enjoy local community trails with family and friends again. My Alinker walking bike will help make this dream come true.
These trails are a free for everyone to
enjoy. Not being able to get out and enjoy my happy place for the
last 4 years has taken a tole on my mental, emotional, physical and
spiritual well being. Can you Imagine the thought of never being able
to walk along them again?
Due to neurological damage, degenerative Lyme arthritis and vertigo I will never be able to safely manage to walk with a standard walker. Being confined to a power wheelchair has left me sitting on the sideline of what was my life. To be mobile and using my own body to propel my Alinker walking bike will be the greatest medicine for what ails me as well as an inspiration for others.
Living in a rural community accessible transportation is very limited and expensive. An Alinker walking bike will enable me to safely go out with family and friends again in their cars.
I was called to ministry after recovering from my Traumatic Brain Injury and have been serving God and others for more than 10 years. The main focus of my ministry has been woman in recovery victims of abuse suffering from anxiety, depression and PTSD.
As a result of my declining mobility my physical and mental health along with my social and spiritual life have suffered greatly. With my Alinker walking bike, they will all be the best they can possibly be again..
Life on my own two feet, at eye level will be such a blessing and a game changer in my life's journey. Allowing me to return to so many of the activities that give meaning to and spark joy in my life..
I remember the day my friend called me from Nansana, Uganda she had gone there to teach at a Christian School.
I was in the middle of cutting my Wedding Cake, really!
( Me with my Aunties on by wedding day)
My friend with the Karis Kids, Uganda.
She was calling to wish us well. She mentioned they were in such despirate need of a school. Me being me I asked how much it would cost? $ 20,000... no problem was my reply...we just need to shake 20,000 hands and ask them for a dollar. Well 8 years later the school was completed, along with proper sanitation, a 130 ft deep well for fresh water was dug, "by hand" and 12 acres of land was purchased to grow food for the children at the orphanage and a cash crop to help with other necessities.
I pray that one day if my health permits, take my Alinker walking bike with me and travel to the school to see our legacy of love and meet the beautiful children.
October 2019 was my last hike to Cape Clear in the Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia with my best friend. It is truly the most beautiful place I have ever seen in all seasons. My Alinker walking bike will make hikes like this and so much more a reality in my life again.
At 65 years young I am not ready to take a seat on the bench of life; when I still have so much left to contribute to the game.
I pray that you will find it in your heart to donate to my campaign, enabling me to continue to serve and inspire others to believe all things are possible.
As the old saying goes " If you don't move it, you'll lose it"
I pray I will soon be moving it on my Alinker walking bike.
Thank you for reading my story and your consideration.
Love and Blessings
Cheryl-Anne
The campaigns are about sharing. Most people have no idea what life is like when you live with MS or what happens after you have a stroke. Isolation is often a bigger problem than the symptoms of the disease itself. With the campaigns we can share and educate people, because it can happen to all of us. When we create a movement where people simply show up for each other, it might get a bit ‘safer’ and less ‘scary’ to engage with each other. Some people share their experiences on their campaign, others share their funds to support the campaigns. It is not about asking for money, it is creating an opportunity for people to learn and show up with #generosity. Being generous resonates with who we are as humans. We understand generosity deeply and when you practice it, you feel so much better
PLEASE NOTE
- The campaigns are in USD $, and since to the pandemic the price increased from September onwards $2950 USD. This includes the Alinker, shipping, process and campaign fees and our #AlinkerFamily support.
- The campaigns are all or nothing, no credit cards are charged unless the campaign reaches its goal.
- As soon as the campaign reaches its goal, we ship an Alinker (from direct stock or you'll be placed in line, delivery 6-8 weeks).
- Campaigners do not handle money. On disability or welfare, you cannot handle money without being penalized, but you can receive an Alinker !
- When the campaign raises more than the goal, the campaigner can chose another campaign which we then make the donation to, paying it forward, or the balance will be placed in our Collective Campaign to help future campaigners.
- If you want to start a campaign and are outside Canada or the USA, write an email to stephanie@thealinker.com. We can potentially get a shipping quote to where you live, and include that in the campaign goal, though we like to keep shipping at a minimum, so we will not ship anywhere beyond $250 shipping costs.
Together we build a movement of kindness and generosity, because we all need it
Why do we facilitate crowdfunding on our site?
We believe that the Alinkers should be available for everybody, regardless of income and people who start a crowdfunding campaign here, will have access to a life changing Alinker. These crowdfunding campaigns are the first step to make Alinkers available for everybody. BE and the Alinker company are now putting their energy together to build a generous community around all the campaigners! The campaigners are people who allow others to show up generously, give them love!
Here is the Alinker segment as was aired on CBS Innovation Nation October 2019 - https://youtu.be/pk96VDkJ9NU
Why an Alinker?
Generally, medical devices are a technical solution for a body with a
problem.
The Alinker is designed for who we are, a whole human
being, who wants to live an active and engaged life. We are a human,
we have a body. Whether we miss a leg of have MS, it does not change
who we are.
Yet the world we live in, treats us as a body with a problem, which creates a social divide between people based on their body, based on what we have, not on who we are. Isolation and loneliness are more devastating than the disease itself. So we need to show up for each other, acknowledge each other and be present to who we are.
These campaigns are here to bridge the gap between a high quality custom Alinker, and the people who live at the receiving end of a 'sickcare' system that drives people into poverty.
So, show up, be radically generous, it is something we humans really
understand.
When you read each story in each campaign, pause and
imagine who that person is, and why they started the campaign, reach
out to them, let them know they are surrounded and seen, heard and not
alone. When we do that, we feel better and create a safer community
where we know we can show up for each other. It connects us with our
essence, we are radically generous creatures, we just got a little
lost in systems that are not designed for our wellness.
Alinkers change lives, here are a few people
GO TO CROWDFUND, WHY, HOW, START
Who is the Alinker for?
The Alinker is for people who want to stay active, regardless of mobility challenges.
To operate and use the Alinker you must have the ability to:
- walk to some degree
- flex and extend your legs
- bear weight on one leg briefly while getting on and off the Alinker
- be consciously aware of your surroundings
- be aware of your ability and limitations
What is the Alinker?
The Alinker is an exceptionally cool, three-wheeled walking bike
for humans with mobility constraints. It’s not a medical device,
it’s a lifestyle tool, designed to enable users to lead active and
socially engaged lives — at eye level.
On the Alinker, users sit upright -- at eye level with standing
companions. Weight is supported by the seat with no stress on the
lower body, while handle bars provide additional support. Feet remain
on the ground, keeping users stable and safe.
GO TO CROWDFUND, WHY, HOW, START
Together we'll make this work, in kindness and from the heart
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