Most Read Story of 2023 Brought Me Help: Need Medical Equipment? The Bally Lions Club Will Come to Your Rescue

by Lesley Misko

Creating, writing, and overseeing The Boyertown Area Expression has given Jane and me an opportunity to learn about things and meet people we would not otherwise have known. Getting to meet new people who do interesting and productive things is always rewarding and uplifting, but sometimes it turns out to help us in surprising ways we would not have predicted.

Diagnosed with a serious back condition that makes standing and walking quite painful, I have spent the last 22 years gritting my teeth and managing as well as I am able. In more recent years, probably at least partially from walking so awkwardly, my knees have also become painful. Normal aging and losing my husband’s help have also contributed and it has all added up to an extremely challenging time for me in recent months.

Searching for ways to cope, I finally confronted the reality of the situation and decided that maybe I need to get a “rollator,” a contraption with wheels and a seat that you can push around to give yourself some support when walking. It was an emotionally difficult decision for obvious reasons.

My first stop in my rollator search was a local medical supply store. Unfortunately, they were not particularly helpful. Next, I decided to search on the internet. I became quickly overwhelmed by a vast array of choices. Different companies, different sizes, different weights, different features, different heights, different construction materials— all made it impossible to find one that I could be certain would work well for me.

The days passed painfully and each one brought me closer to despair because I was at a loss for a solution that could make my life more manageable. Then I remembered one of our most read Expression articles from March 2023: “Need Medical Equipment? The Bally Lions Will Come To Your Rescue.” I took a deep breath and I called.

Rick, the Bally Lion with whom I spoke, was warm and friendly, accommodating and helpful. A Boyertown Area Senior High grad who served in the military, Rick is now retired and enjoying helping people in ways that keep him busy. In addition to his work with the Lions, he delivers Meals on Wheels.

We met in Bally at the facility where the equipment is stored. He was so comfortable to talk with that I felt able to point out that I need a rollator with a seat that is wide enough for my not-exactly-a-small-person-body. Rick got me matched up to a rollator, explained how to use it (It’s nice to know how the brakes work!), and carried it out and put it in my car. It was such an uplifting experience.

Unfortunately, this rollator isn’t a perfect solution: it is too heavy for me to lift into and out of the car. However, it has given me a start that will help me when I now look on the internet. I will know what to eliminate. When I find one to purchase, I will return this one to the Lions so that it can help someone else in need.

Join me in applauding this wonderful Bally Lions project! I now have a personal understanding of just how wonderful it is.

If you missed it or would like to revisit it, you can read the complete article about the Bally Lions' medical equipment project here.

And you can learn about other Bally Lions' projects here.

More News from Boyertown

• Prothonotary Warbler--May's Bird of the Month Prothonotary warblers delight our area with their sunshine color and active voice.
• May 16, 1937: Angry Laborers Cause Damage in Home of Hosiery Mill Foreman Angry laborers left their foreman a message of their displeasure over the company's wage scale by throwing oil through a window of his home, ruining walls and furniture.