SEQUIM — A Sequim woman who is paralyzed from the chest down will be able to buy a new handcycle because of donations from strangers to her online GoFundMe page.
Bonnie Richardson received the final amount needed to buy her handcycle after the Peninsula Daily News published a story about her Thursday.
That day, several folks went online to donate a total of $852 to her cause, helping her reach her goal of $2,100 before noon.
The last donation before the story was published had been made about two weeks ago.
She expects to have her handcycle at the end of this month or in early June.
“I am totally overwhelmed by everybody’s generosity,” Richardson said Thursday.
“I never thought that I would be able to do that. Wow. Everything just came together.”
Powered by arms
Handcycles are powered by users’ arms rather than their legs, with most coming in tricycle form to provide stability.
Richardson, who is in her early 50s, suffered a debilitating spinal injury in a car wreck in 1988.
For the past two decades, she has ridden area trails on her Quickie Mach 3 handcycle for nearly two decades.
But the old handcycle is in disrepair. She can’t ride on it anymore.
Ready to get back out on the trail and enjoy the spring weather, Richardson has had her eyes set on a brand-new handcycle.
But at $5,100, the Invacare Top End Force CC handcycle that would best suit her was out of her price range.
Refusing to give up on her dream, Richardson applied for a grant through the Kelly Brush Foundation in 2014.
The nonprofit organization provides assistance to people with spinal cord injuries by offering grants to purchase adaptive athletic equipment such as handcycles.
Handcycle grant
The nonprofit awarded Richardson a $3,000 grant, which left $2,100 for her to raise on her own.
The grant would have expired June 30 if she couldn’t come up with the full purchase price, she said.
With that goal now met, the next step is for the handcycle to be shipped to Sequim after it is built later this month.
“As soon as they are done building it, they will ship it out,” she said.
The final assembly will be completed by employees of the Bellevue Healthcare branch at 520 E. Washington St.
Then Richardson will be able to get out on local trails and enjoy the fresh air, beautiful sites and camaraderie with fellow trailgoers.
“I will be on the bike trail” hopefully in early June, she said.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.