When Rick Berger was looking for an RV he could use, or van conversion he found plenty …but none of which actually suited his needs. Rick has ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is known in some regions as Motor Neurone Disease MND) and has no mobility from the waist down. “Remember the ‘Ice bucket challenge’ of ten years ago?”, he asks “…well, that was to raise awareness of, and money for the ALS association“.
Rick lives in Florida; he has grand children living in Colorado whom he plans to visit – and on the same tour he’ll be taking in The Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls. He’ll be travelling alone. When I ask him how far The Grand Canyon is from home, his echo device tells him it’s 2,284.6 miles.
Rick has made some adaptations to his Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with a 170” wheelbase so that he can use it independently. It has a wheelchair lift on the passenger side; the driver seat can be raised or lowered – as can his wheelchair seat – so that he can transfer himself from one to the other. There is also a ceiling lift which allows him to get from his chair into the bed, and vice-versa. He’s afraid that his mobility devices will fail to work – in fact they both have, once each, owing to a mechanical failure. “It scares the hell out of me – but you have to live.” He says.
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