Community Corner

Wish Sends Senior Scooting

As a paraplegic, Darrell Cole, 85, of Temecula, has limited use of one leg and can not walk.

You won't find this 85-year-old sitting around.

Especially not after he received a new electric scooter Wednesday through Murrieta-based nonprofit, Seniors Having One Wish (S.H.O.W.) Foundation.

Darrell Cole, a disabled senior citizen who lives in Old Town Temecula, was given the scooter to replace his old one, which was unsafe and beyond repair, said Marsha Anderson, S.H.O.W. founder and president.

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Granting Cole's wish marked the first wish of many Anderson hopes to grant with her new foundation.

"I think it is great, the Lord knew I needed one," Cole said, as he beeped the horn and tested the lights on his new scooter.

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Cole, who is known to travel by scooter to run his daily errands, is never seen without his dog, a Cairn Terrier. As part of the wish, Delita Mae got a blueberry muffin facial courtesy of Shaggy to Chic.

She also immediately settled into the basket already installed for her in her usual spot on the front of the scooter.

For Anderson, granting the wish was in line with her life's passion.

Anderson said she has always had a soft spot for seniors, starting with a close relationship with her own grandparents growing up in Nebraska.

"I started helping the elderly in high school with their medical billing, and I got so much joy out of it," said Anderson, now 57.

That transferred to a life spent working with the elderly, including her current position as director of community services for Heritage Senior Care in Murrieta.

With the help of Heritage Senior Care, which agreed to sponsor her foundation, Anderson was able to launch S.H.O.W. The foundation's mission is to fill needs that seniors can not financially or physically provide for themselves.

It didn't take long for Anderson to find her first project. She spotted Cole at a health fair in Temecula. That same day, she met Jay O'Neill, president of Global Medical Equipment and Supplies in Murrieta.

O'Neill agreed to donate the scooter--valued at $2,400--and a date was set. O'Neill said he had the scooter in inventory after purchasing the company, formerly DME, in February.

"We were fortunate to have something of this quality and this nice to be able to do this for (Cole)," O'Neill said.

When Wednesday arrived, Cole did not waste any time trying out his new ride as he drove out the front doors of O'Neill's shop on Hancock Avenue.

"I was very excited; I couldn't sleep last night," Cole said.

As a paraplegic, Cole has limited use of one leg and can not walk.

"MediCal and Medicare don't pay for scooters," Cole said. "So if you want one you have to buy it yourself."

"I think seniors need to get out and do something with their lives instead of sitting around and watching TV," he said, applying the accelerator.


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