Christmas came a little early to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. Sunrise Medical and Wheels For Humanity enhanced the lives of the disabled in HCMC through education and wheelchair donations. Our week-long trip included a sports camp for the Disabled Youth Association, custom fitting wheelchairs that had been donated by Sunrise Medical, and working with the Spinal Cord Injury Rehab Center of HCMC.

We arrived in HCMC late on Friday night on United Airlines very festive inaugural flight into HCMC. We gathered the team members, the donated wheelchairs and began our adventure. Our delegation had 2 primary goals: A 3 day Sports Camp and delivery of the donated wheelchairs. The seating team included David Richards, Founder of Wheels For Humanity, Eva Ma, Occupational Therapist from Oregon and myself, a Physical Therapist and Clinical Education Specialist from Sunrise Medical. "Team Quickie Plus One" included Randy Snow and Jacob Heilveil, Quickie sponsored athletes, and Danny Fik, a Colours sponsored athlete. Chau Diep Nguyen and Giselle Bich-Chieu Nguyen were our eyes and ears - functioning as interpreters and logistics directors. Chau kept more than one of us free from being injured by a motorbike. Sam Maddox, Knowledge Manager for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center served as "Documenter" - taking photos and compiling information throughout the trip. Completing our team were the Hasselhoffs, Pamela and David, of Bay Watch fame. David and Pamela have been active spokesmen for WHF, donating their time and efforts for over two years.

Our first day was spent meeting with the various agencies facilitating the wheelchair exchange including the Disabled Youth Foundation (DYA) and the HCMC Association for Poor Patients (HAPP). The wheelchairs were readied for distribution and fitting; the sports camp agenda was established. We also adjusted to the traffic and noise that is always present in HCMC.

On Monday we were ready! After Opening Ceremonies, hosted by David and Pamela, we split into our teams.

"The Seating team" delivered the custom pediatric wheelchairs and seating systems to children designated by Handicap International, an NGO active in HCMC. We were able to give mobility to these children for the first time in their lives. Instead of being carried or bedridden, they now have the opportunity to interact and be included. "These children, who would otherwise literally be carried, reliant on wheelbarrows, or forced to crawl have been dramatically changed by the gift of these wheelchairs" said David Richards.

Randy Snow, Jacob Heilveil and Danny Fik (with assistance from the rest of the team) ran a 3-day sports camp where the aspiring athletes improved their skills in tennis, table tennis, badminton and basketball. The athletes utilized the wheelchairs donated by Sunrise. These wheelchairs, including the newly designed and launched Match Point, are engineered specifically for sports and will enhance the skill of these athletes. The camp included sports skills and conditioning drills as well as general wheelchair skills.

The athletes benefited almost as much just by watching and learning from Randy, Jacob and Danny - who demonstrated all that is possible.

We also had the opportunity see some of Ho Chi Minh City and proved to many that, yes, people using wheelchairs can "do" stairs, curbs, boats, as well as all the other obstacles offered by a developing country. Many in HCMC now know how to take wheels off a wheelchair!!

We were also able to visit a new spinal cord injury center where we met with the Handicap International team that opened this new center. It was a wonderful opportunity to share knowledge and ideas. Team Quickie wowed the crowd by demonstrating curb negotiation, ramp climbing and wheelie skills. They also gave advice and shared experiences with the newly injured patients. By seeing and talking with Randy, Jacob and Danny, these Vietnamese patients realize what is possible: that they have the potential to return to active and fulfilling lives. It was definitely eye opening and liberating for them.

It was a remarkable trip - Ho Chi Minh City is a vibrant city: wonderfully inviting and hospitable. I will long remember the faces of the children who received wheelchairs - so excited with their newfound freedom, the sights and sounds of the motorbikes, the fragrant smell of Pho Soup being made on every corner…

But I will never forget the people on the streets, the SCI patients and members of the Disabled Youth Association watching Randy, Jacob and Danny… and the light turning on… the realization that a disability can be overcome. In the end this trip was about providing hope and dreams.

Randy put it best… "What it's really all about is belief. Believing does not promise success but it does promise possibilities!!!"