Life changing stories

Maud Einarsson

The desire for nature doesn't vanish when illness strikes or mobility becomes challenging. In fact, the therapeutic influence of nature likely becomes even more significant in such circumstances.

Seven years ago, Maud 's life underwent a drastic change when she began using a wheelchair. She battles Myositis with interstitial lung disease, a condition affecting both her muscles and lungs, weakening her and severely reducing her stamina. "But I refused to let that stop me from being in nature," Maud asserts.
Photo: Maud Einarsson, Instagram @vernadotter

Iwana - “The Zoom has changed my life in that I am going to change my life – drastically!”

A spinal cord injury paralyzing her from the waist down forced her to relearn how to live. Due to the very rugged terrain of her home in the Shetland Islands, Ivanna was unable to move back to the supportive circle of her extended family. “If the Zoom had been made back then, I probably would have been zooming around the Shetland Islands”
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Annie - "I zoom through the rough terrain"

Annie has been living with a spinal cord injury for 19 years. Combining my love for animals and nature with severe pain and limited mobility has been a tough challenge for the healthcare system to solve.
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Annelie Andersson - "It gives so much freedom"

Annelie lives with her daughter and partner outside Linköping in Sweden. In the past, when winter came, the family prepared for a tuff period of sadness and hardship. It became really difficult to even get outdoors. Nowdays they are looking forward to all the fun that comes with the snow.
"Its the best thing we own, it really is".
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Ramesh Haytasingh - "It’s exhilarating"

U.S. Navy veteran Ramesh Haytasingh received a Zoom electric all-terrain chair and tests it out on Siesta Beach for the first time. After serving more than 20 years in the navy he was injured in a surfing accident. This day was a great day for Ramesh. The chair is versatile enough that he will be able to take it to a supermarket but also enjoy the beach, all the way to the waters edge and feel confident.
"I can't wait to to smell the woods and listen to the nature. It's humbeling", says Ramesh.
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Calle Eriksson - "it has given me so much"

Calle lives in Stockholm, Sweden. Using the zoom is as natural as putting on his shoes before he goes out. When he first got the Zoom he was not aware how much use he will have for it and he can go wherever he wants whenever he wants.
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Thomas Fogdö - "It is totally amazing"

Thomas is Swedish former alpine skier and slalom specialist, he won the World Cup for that discipline in 1993.
On 7 February 1995 his life changed after breaking his spine in a training accident.
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Zoom life in images

Zoomability AB
Brandthovdagatan 24
721 35 Västerås, Sweden
Zoomability uses the IP2Location LITE database for
IP Geolocation
december 26, 2024 © All rights reserved
Hi, my name is Annie, and I’ve been living with a spinal cord injury for 19 years.

Combining my love for animals and nature with severe pain and limited mobility has been a tough challenge for the healthcare system to solve. Even though I’ve been using an “extreme” wheelchair for 12 years, it has come with significant limitations on what I can do. Two years ago, I received an updated version of the chair, but while it looked similar visually, it came with several major design flaws.
Due to my injury, I need extensive core support. For someone like me, who’s determined to keep up with horses, sheep herding, and my two Border Collies (my greatest passion), finding a functional wheelchair has been incredibly tricky. Most seats fail to provide the balance I need for my upper body, leaving me in extreme pain.

Two years ago, I looked into a Zoomability chair, but everyone around me said, “No, you won’t be able to handle it.” So, I kept fighting with all my might for my right to live an active life.

Then, in August 2024, the electronics in my “extreme” wheelchair burned out. Knowing how slow the healthcare system typically is—and that getting a specialized wheelchair repaired would take months (as of now, it’s being repaired abroad—sigh)—I convinced my somewhat worried husband that we should go and try out a Zoom. I was in the middle of the herding season, with two very active dogs, and being stuck indoors was no fun for anyone around me.

When I arrived, I thought, how are they going to fit my 183 cm frame and broad hips into that seat? And how will I manage with my spastic legs? But it worked—I was secured in place as if held by a vise. Getting out was admittedly harder, but to my surprise, I wasn’t in more pain after the test drive. Zoomability listened carefully to my feedback and explained how the chair could be customized for me.

The test drive was amazing! We made the decision the next day, and four days later, we picked up my very own Zoom. It’s had a few custom modifications so I can sit even more comfortably for longer periods.

For 19 years, I’ve navigated tough terrain in sheep pastures that felt like mogul courses, often with my heart in my throat. Now, I zoom through them. Even my dogs seem to think, Are you really allowed to go this fast out here in the fields?

Strangely, I never think about the cost anymore. If it ever comes up, my husband and I both chime in at the same time: Worth every penny.

For 19 years, mud, soft ground, glare ice, and more have been my nemesis, forcing me to skip activities and avoid certain places because they were inaccessible. Now, it’s almost a challenge to try new things. I often come home covered in mud but with a huge smile on my face.

Many people criticize the simplicity of the seat design. For me, it’s the magical ingredient that lets me navigate with my Zoom.
Because of my spasticity, we chose to install a fixed safety belt, which works perfectly.

Thank you, Zoomability, for doing everything to ensure I got my Zoom quickly, and for listening attentively and helping me find solutions tailored to my physical needs.
Meet Ivanna Brown: A tale of independence and resilience. Ivanna, born in the Shetland Islands and raised in various military bases worldwide, joined the Air Force and was stationed in Tucson, Arizona. A car accident at 25 left her paralyzed from the waist down, but she turned this challenge into a story of triumph.
After receiving treatment through the VA in Long Beach, California, Ivanna embraced her new life with determination. “I wanted to make sure I could do everything by myself,” she said. Her time with the VA was transformative, not just for her recovery but also for her spirit. “The VA here in Long Beach has a staff that is just really behind veterans living their best life. They really will do whatever they can to get you to try to do new things… They taught me how to be independent… They are just awesome, it’s a really good VA!”

Ivanna's life took another turn for the better when she received a Zoom from The Independence Fund. This device has allowed her to enjoy activities she previously could only watch from afar. “One of the big things about having a Zoom is being able to go to Dog Beach (with her two dogs)… before the Zoom, I’d sit up on top of the hill and watch everyone playing with their dogs… The fact that I can actually get down there and run around with my dogs … I cried the first time, I literally cried, it was just so amazing.”

With her new Zoom, Ivanna is not only gaining freedom but also looking forward to exploring more rugged terrains without the physical strain. “Now if I do want to go through a field or something I’m not going to rip my shoulder to shreds trying to participate in stuff. You can do it and you’re not going to injure yourself and that’s a huge thing.”

Her plans now include traveling in an RV with her dogs. “Me and my dogs are going for it – we’re going to go wherever we want and stay wherever we want. I can go to all these campgrounds now which were not fun before, because it’s all gravel and dirt and takes 10 minutes to go two feet… I’m super ridiculously excited!”

“The Zoom has changed my life in that I am going to change my life – drastically!”