Our family is happy that we were able to give Vince his independence with a Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair.
Hi, my name is Talyssa, and I ordered a Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair for my brother, Vince, who is in his 30’s and started using a wheelchair when we were young kids. Vince is a powerhouse of personality made up of humor, honesty, love for his family and friends and an incredibly strong outlook on life in general. Vince has Cerebral Palsy in addition to Hemiplegia, Dystonia and Scoliosis. He normally uses a specialized power wheelchair from Permobil that is covered by insurance, and at home, he is also able to get around ok using a manual wheelchair.
Why Buy a Reyhee Wheelchair?
If Vince already owns a wheelchair, why did he need another one? In November 2022, we went on a family trip to Disneyland, where Vince used his regular powered wheelchair. Unfortunately, after the second day of the trip, his wheelchair battery died and stopped charging, making it completely unusable. For the rest of the week, he tried using a park-provided scooter similar to the Reyhee Cruiser, but it didn’t provide enough back support for him. So, with the help of family members, he used a manual wheelchair for the rest of the trip.
Once back at home, Vince and my stepmom spent nearly three months trying to get his wheelchair fixed. After numerous calls, emails and service visits, his chair was still unusable, and his insurance had not provided approval for additional repairs or a replacement. By the end of January, we were looking for another solution because we planned another Disneyland trip for the following month.
Setting Up the Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair
We received the Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair for Vince a couple days before going to Disneyland. We followed the instructions for easy setup and plugged the battery in to charge for 12 hours (only on the initial charge). Hemiplegia causes Vince to not have full use of the left side of his body, including his left hand. Luckily, the joystick on the Reyhee wheelchair can be installed on either the left or right-hand side of the mobility vehicle.
Once Vince was buckled into the Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair, he sped off and left us in the dust! (Only kidding - the speed limit on the chair is 3 MPH) After nearly four months of not having a powered wheelchair, he was relieved, grateful and happy to regain some independence.
Favorite Features on the Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair
It’s important for us to point out that the Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair is not meant to fully replace Vince’s everyday powered wheelchair. His wheelchair is fully customized to fit his body and his specific needs. It lays completely flat to relieve pressure on his back created by Scoliosis, and it lifts and lowers to help him reach cupboards and things normally accessible to people not on wheels. His everyday chair also weighs more than 100 pounds to fully support and counterbalance his weight as he uses the different features. While it’s not a replacement, the Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair was a good alternative and backup for Vince, and here are some of our favorite features.
Battery Life Long Enough to Handle a Theme Park
Vince started the first day at Disneyland in the Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair with a full battery. After about 12 hours of use, the battery only depleted to 60%. The long battery life was very convenient, especially since it’s hard to find a place in Disneyland Park to charge a powered mobility vehicle.
Our visits to Disneyland are usually three to five days long, and most of those days are 10-12 hour marathons full of rides, restaurants, hanging out and shopping. In a typical day, there’s a wide variance of length of time spent at different speeds and idle times. Vince was very good about remembering to turn off the power while we were idled for a long time, like while we ate lunch or experienced a long wait for a ride. He recharged the battery each night so it was full for the next day. The battery life on the Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair was awesome and handled our five-day Disneyland Resort trip like a champ!
Lightweight, Foldable and Convenient for Everyday Activities
Two big differences between Vince’s Permobil wheelchair and the Reyhee wheelchair are weight and foldability. Vince’s everyday wheelchair weighs well over 100 pounds, which helps support his weight as he uses the different features. The Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair only weighs 60 pounds and supported Vince’s weight well while making it easier to load into a car or van.
Additionally, his everyday wheelchair is not foldable, and while it can be taken apart to fit into a van, the process is cumbersome. The Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair folds down easily, making it compact and convenient for quick everyday trips in the car. In fact, the Reyhee wheelchair provided us with an unexpected benefit - the ability to run to the grocery store. Vince normally uses Walmart Home to get groceries delivered to him, but the size and foldability of the Reyhee powered wheelchair make it perfect for a trip with my stepmom or siblings to the grocery store or for just running regular errands.
Lastly, my stepmom’s absolute favorite feature was comfort. Vince tried other mobility vehicles, like a scooter, but the lack of proper back support left him in pain after a few hours of use. Although the Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair is not adjustable, Vince was comfortable using it for five days, for more than 12 hours each day!
Navigating life with special needs is full of challenges for everyone involved. Sometimes the systems put in place to help those who are differently abled take more than they give or fall through completely. Our family is happy that we were able to give Vince his independence with a Reyhee Roamer Wheelchair after months of a broken everyday chair that led him to rely heavily on others just to get around.