The Centennial Lions Club donated a motorized scooter to a woman who encountered nerve damage. When she didn't need it anymore, she returned it, and the Saskatoon Lions Clubs donated it to a man whose scooter was totaled in a hit and run accident last week.
John Pankratz enjoys some fresh air in his garden Monday on a scooter donated to him by the Centennial Lions Club.
Photograph by: Gord Waldner , The StarPhoenix
Ewles was only 35 when she suffered nerve damage after surgery that left her unable to walk and resulted in the loss of her job as a care aide at a nursing home.
"We didn't know if she would ever walk again. - It was a pretty sad time," her mother, Carol Ewles, said Monday.
Carol and her husband, Ron, are members of the Centennial Lions Club and were thrilled when the service organization approved the purchase of a motorized scooter that would allow Jennifer to get around town for groceries and appointments.
"It was a huge benefit to her," for three or four years, Carol said.
Regular physiotherapy and determination combined with the slow regeneration of the damaged nerves eventually won Jennifer the use of her legs again.
One day, she gave the scooter back to her parents. She didn't need it anymore and eventually returned to work as a care aide, Carol said.
In the two years since then, Saskatoon Lions Clubs have held onto the mobility device, waiting to hear of someone in need of a heavy-duty scooter.
Last week a member heard about Pankratz, 67, who was riding his scooter on Avenue F South when he was struck by a vehicle that sped away without stopping.
The scooter was destroyed and he was hospitalized with 18 stitches to a gash in his leg and multiple bruises and smaller cuts.
Most difficult for him was the prospect of returning home without the money to replace his scooter and being trapped inside without a way to get to his garden or visit his friends.
On Friday, Carol and Jennifer Ewles loaded the heavy scooter into Carol's station wagon and delivered it to St. Paul's Hospital, where they handed it over to Pankratz.
"It was satisfying - the smile on his face when he got it," Carol said.
On Monday morning, Pankratz answered his cellphone while working in his garden. He'd already been to his daily coffee date with his friends.
He is still getting used to the new machine's quirks, but said "it looks pretty good to me."
"It felt pretty good to be back out there," he said.
Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Thanks+Lions+Club+scooter+gives+independence/7085701/story.html#ixzz23gHdxAfU
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