People who tend to travel a lot by plane know how much their stuff gets damaged. So it’s not a safe thing to put your valuable things in registered luggage as the staff doesn’t handle them carefully. But there are certain valuable things that cannot be taken with us and we have to hand them the things. A wheelchair is like life to a disabled person as it’s the only way that they can move and be independent.
Gabrielle deFiebre, who has transverse myelitis has a wheelchair that is made for her. And during a flight, her wheelchair had been damaged by Delta Airlines. A video was shared on TikTok where she cries when she gets to know that her only way of moving had been damaged. This video was viewed b more than 16.1M and many people are in support of Gabrielle.
#1. She’s always anxious about traveling by plane as she worries that her wheelchair might get damaged.
She’s Director of Research and Programs at Seigel Rare Neuroimmune Association from New York. she has this neurological disorder transverse myelitis. And people get paralyzed due to this, that’s what had happened with Gabrielle too. And as she needs a wheelchair to move, one had been made with her measurements and the wheels in it are high-tech and she has a limited hand function they are power-assisted with a motor.
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#3. It’s not a new thing that wheelchairs get damaged on the plane and her wheelchair which was specially made for her had been damaged.
Though Gabrielle knew that many wheelchairs of disabled people get damaged she went on the girl’s trip as nothing could stop her from living a happy life. She was worried about the fact that if her wheelchair got damaged she couldn’t use a manual one.
#4. One of her friends had taken the video of her reaction when she found out that her wheelchair was damaged.
After they had landed in Phoenix she had realized that her wheelchair was broken and tears had started to fall from her eyes. Bri, Gabrielle’s friend had taken the video and it was watched more than 16M times. After knowing many people had shared their own experiences and had even tagged Delta Airlines.
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#6. Gabrielle was lucky that she was lent a wheelchair that had exactly the same wheels as hers.
Later they both had thanked the people through another video for their support. And Gabrielle had even said that Delta Airlines had promised to replace the damaged wheels. And her trip was also good as she was able to move with the wheelchair that she got. As per an Air Customer Travel Report where there are several airlines included, it said that out of 27,695 wheelchairs and scooters which had been on the plane in the month of March in 2021 310 were damaged.
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#8. Here’s the video of Gabrielle reacting after knowing that her wheelchair was damaged.
@briscalesseWhen is this going to stop? #fyp #disabilitiyawareness #wheelchair @geeg_def♬ original sound – briscalesse
#9. There had been about 60k comments and many had even tagged Delta Airlines in their comments.
I have been into reading, creative writing, learning different languages from my young age. Also, I’m really fond of calligraphy which I have participated in competitions and won. I was an athlete while I was schooling and I have excelled in the events I did. I have passed my O/levels and did my A/levels in the Physical science stream. Even though my passion for reading and writing never ended. Keep Reading! Keep Learning!
