Teacher Won-joon Lee can’t move his body under his shoulders
Teacher Lee is not able to move his body under his shoulders after getting in an accident which hurt his whalebone, but after going through tough rehabilitation, he can now move himself on a special electric wheelchair controlled by his head. He’s now giving a lecture to promote awareness on disabilities.
It takes a lot of energy and time for him to prepare for a lecture and visit classrooms, but it’s not surprising that he earned a nickname “Man of Tenacity”. He finds a way anyway and gets things done in the end.
However, he encountered an adversity. The second-hand wheelchair he bought five years ago stopped working. The lectures he was supposed to give were cancelled and he had to stay at home all day.
“Fly! Teacher Lee’s wheelchair” Happy Bean Fund Raising Started!
To deliver a special electric wheelchair for Teacher Lee, HUMAN IN LOVE launched an online fundraising campaign from September 7 to November 27. With warm supportive messages, as many as 881 online donors including HIL supporters and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service participated in this campaign, donating 11,944,500 won which is 120% of our goal. We really appreciate all of you for giving such a big support.
What Happened until We Deliver a Special Electric Wheelchair to Teacher Lee
After a successful online fundraising campaign, we had to find a special electric wheelchair which fits well to Teacher Lee. But it was not easy. The wheelchair should be compatible with a head controller, equipped with a good brake, let him be able to lay his back, easy to move and turn around in a small space, and strong enough to absorb vibration.
First we tried to buy a domestic brand and add some more options, but failed. And then we were thinking about to buy it from abroad but it was so expensive that we couldn’t even think about buying it with our donation money.
Fly! Teacher Lee’s wheelchair
The new wheelchair is driving smoothly and powerfully. Teacher Won-joon Lee rode the new wheelchair and visited his hometown for the first time in eight year. He also appeared on a TV show “MBC Our Village Peter Pan” which is aired to promote awareness on disabilities,and talked about the daily lives of the disabled “.
We were frustrated for a while because we didn’t know what to do, but after asking all around, we finally could find a second-hand electric wheelchair which is just like a new one. The wheelchair flew all the way from the U.S. to Korea just like the title of our fundraising campaign. Haha.
After the wheelchair was delivered, we installed a head controller and adjusted the seat and foot rest size. Also we installed front attachment, tablet PC and rear-view mirrors and a software program.
Teacher Lee is dedicated to removing prejudice against the disabled and improving the rights and lives of people with disabilities. We really thank HIL supporters, Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service and online donors for giving unwavering support for Teacher Lee to not stop and carry on.
