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Brian Ruecker
C5/6 Quad - Customer since 2001
Email: renbri595@comcast.net

"In October of 1994, an accident rendered me a C5/6 quadriplegic. No more than 5 months after being discharged from rehab, I developed a decubitis ulcer (DU) that ultimately led to a skin graft surgery shortly thereafter. Within the next two years, I had two more radical flap surgeries performed which included the shaving of the ischial tuberoscities. After trying several different cushions (both gel and static air), the DU’s would eventually recur causing me to spend months (cumulatively) in bed. I began to believe that pressure sores would always dictate my life. Then I found EASE on the Internet.

In November of 2001, I purchased this new type of wheelchair cushion, the EASE “Active Massage” cushion from a small company up near Chico. This cushion uses a computer controlled miniature pump to alternate air bladders within the cushion every 4 minutes. This has the effect of doing pressure relief automatically. I have not had a DU since I purchased the cushion, even after increasing by 50% the amount of hours sitting in the chair.

The cushion costs more than a standard cushion (about $1500) but quite a bit less than 3 surgeries and 90 days care in a sub-acute facility.

When I obtained the cushion in November of 2001, a sore had started forming, which healed in the first month on the EASE cushion. Since that time, I have not had any problems even after increasing my sitting time, by 50%. Gone are the two-day stints in bed, which occurred all too frequently. My wife and I now travel much more and can enjoy long days and nights. The cushion and pump have greatly enhanced the quality of my life."

- Brian Ruecker, Sacramento, California