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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) (click to enlarge)   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, January 28, 2005 Edmonds volunteers help keep folks mobile Wheelchairs, other items are sold at big discounts By Kristi O'Harran / Herald Writer One disabled client sat alone in her apartment, dependent on neighbors to fetch her groceries. Then she heard about the Donor Closet in Edmonds. Later, volunteer Roger Oliver of Edmonds was able to deliver a motorized scooter to her. Now she's able to scoot to the grocery store two blocks away. She cried with delight when Oliver made the delivery. Kristi O'Harran / The Herald Members of Multiple Sclerosis Helping Hands, including (from left) Roger Oliver, Gary Turcott and William Brayer, volunteer at the Donor Closet, offering wheelchairs and other items at low cost. It was all in a day's work for Donor Closet volunteers, who supply people with everything from wheelchairs to portable potties. The Donor Closet helps those who have fallen through the cracks of the social service system. Need a cane with four little feet for stability? Check out the equipment in the group's rented units at Armadillo Self-Storage, 23031 Highway 99, in Edmonds. There are 11 units with more than 4,500 items. The facility relies on donations of used equipment. Those who need the equipment are asked to make a donation. How about getting an $8,000 scooter for $350? The most popular and most requested items include manual and electric wheelchairs, scooters, portable ramps, walkers, electric hospital beds with mattresses, bedrails, trapezes, lifts, bathtub benches, bedside commodes, shower benches, toilet seat risers, canes, crutches and bedpans. William Brayer, founder, president and executive officer of the support group Multiple Sclerosis Helping Hands, has had MS for decades, but he's still on his feet. The Donor Closet started in his Edmonds garage in 1999. Brayer, 71, who retired from a career in printing, reprographics and microfilming, started the support group to provide services and resources to enhance the quality of life for people with MS. Oliver's wife, meanwhile, lived with MS. The retired Boeing worker made deliveries and pickups for the Donor Closet, lent a hand keeping everything neat, or dropped by to chat with Gary Turcott, the manager. Other volunteers include Bob Chisholm, Craig Rubin, Mike Bemis and Russ Johnson. You don't have to have MS to receive help from the Donor Closet. Organizers say they ask patients to see a doctor or therapist to find out what equipment is needed, and whether help is available from other agencies Recipients usually have been denied items by Medicare, Medicaid, the state Department of Social and Health Services, insurance companies or other agencies. The group also helps MS patients with small financial grants. The money is raised through donations, pledges and grants, and goes to people, not medical research. Those who drop by also can get information about Prokarin, a drug developed in Stanwood that Turcott, 61, swears by. The Bothell man said Prokarin has staved off the effects of MS. (Herald writer Scott North wrote about the drug on June 23, 2002.) Armadillo Storage offers reduced rates for the Donor Closet. Owner Nathan Chinn, 28, said he learned about the organization at a Greater Edmonds Chamber of Commerce meeting, and offered the low rate as a service to the community. Equipment donations may be dropped off at the storage units 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. Items also can be picked up at those times, though deliveries can be arranged. For more information, call 206-718-0426. The logo for the Donor Closet is a strutting turtle walking on its hind legs. Brayer said a turtle never moves forward until it sticks its neck out. That sounds like the wonderful workers at the Donor Closet. Columnist Kristi O'Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.

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