Kai Lok, 17, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

“I wish to have a power wheelchair”

Kai Lok has lost his body mobility due to the illness that he suffers from, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He needs to rely on a wheelchair to move around, with the assistance from his father in controlling the wheelchair. But he always wished that one day he could go out freely without anyone’s assistance.

As Kai Lok grows, his father finds it much more difficult and exhausting when taking care of him. Meanwhile his manual wheelchair can no longer offer adequate support to his muscles. Therefore, he wished to have a power wheelchair to meet his daily needs and strengthen the support to his muscles, as well as to alleviate the burden on his father.

With the support of American Express, the Wish Team, occupational therapist, together with Kai Lok, chose a power wheelchair that fits him the most. The new wheelchair is driven by a mid-wheel that helps him to turn around smoothly on narrow streets. The tilting function also allows him to stretch his muscles without his father’s help. It just perfectly fits his needs! Now Kai Lok can control where he goes and he can’t wait to breathe some fresh air wherever he goes with his new wheelchair!

After Kai Lok has chosen his power wheelchair, he is now learning how to control it so as to ensure his safety when he goes out. The American Express volunteer team spent some time with Kai Lok to see how things go with the new wheelchair. They also prepared his favorite Star Wars toy as a gift for him.

Switching from a manual wheelchair to a power wheelchair, Kai Lok learned fast and got used to his new wheelchair very quickly. He brought the Wish Team and volunteers from American Express to the hill near his school for a walk. He has become familiar with the operation of the power wheelchair outdoors already and we believe he will be able to explore the world with this wheelchair soon!

Acknowledgement: American Express Hong Kong