Regifting is an art. In some families the word is taboo, but with seven siblings it was a common practice in our family as I grew up. Passing the clothes and toys we had outgrown down to younger brothers and sisters did not qualify as regifting. Rewrapping a new or slightly used Christmas or birthday gift did qualify, and was often the practice when we did not take the time to actually shop for that special someone in our family.

Regifting has taken on new meaning for me during the past few years. It has been almost 24 years since my spinal cord injury in 1988, and in that time I have accumulated quite a bit of new, used and unneeded medical supplies and equipment. Some of it became surplus, as when I changed to a different brand or type of catheter, and was in new condition. Wheelchairs were worn out and replaced about every five years, and I've kept the old ones around in case I needed any parts. I'm about due for a replacement chair again, so those old wheelchairs will be of even less use to me.

While I didn't consider it to be regifting at the time, I have donated used wheelchairs to my favorite charitable organization, UCP Wheels For Humanity (WFH), when I lived in California. One time I contacted a nursing home that was closing and was able to get so many wheelchairs and medical supplies donated that WFH had to send an empty truck to Sacramento to pick it up. Their mission is to refurbish used wheelchairs and equipment before delivering containers loaded with them to countries around the world where wheelchairs are a rarity. What really sets them apart is that they have teams of volunteer medical professionals who travel to meet those containers and provide custom fitting to meet the needs of people with complex disabilities who are often receiving their first wheelchair.

In my past jobs I often met people with disabilities from other countries who did not have access to the amount and quality of supplies we enjoy in the United States. That has resulted in my sending several boxes of unused supplies to disability organizations in a couple of African nations. If that is something that interests you, it is simple to type in the name of a favorite country followed by the term “disability organizations” and you will find a list or links of several agencies that you can contact to determine if they accept such donations. Major shippers like UPS and FedEx deliver to most countries, but any boxes being shipped should be clearly labeled as donated medical supplies so that they are not confiscated by the local authorities.

At one time I was able to get my local wheelchair repair vendor to donate a used power chair to a quad friend of mine who was visiting from India. It proved to be much easier than having his brother pushing him around in a manual chair, and that chair has since made several international trips during the past few years.

If you're interested in making a difference in someone's life, check your garage or storage unit to see if there is something that you can part with that might still be of use to someone else who has no access to such items. There are many options for making such donations locally too, as several types of disability organizations support equipment loan closets throughout the country. They count on donations to stock equipment which is made available for free or very low cost to those who have no other means of obtaining it. These operations are usually related to disability organizations like the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Multiple Sclerosis Society or even some local religious groups.

Access to an Internet browser can make the search for such loan closets very easy. Type in your state and "medical equipment exchange" and several listings are likely to be available. You can also check with the local Center for Independent Living in your community, and the list of their locations nationwide is available through the Independent Living Research Utilization Project which is located in Texas. Each region of the country also has an ADA and IT Technical Assistance Center, formerly known as Disability Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs), and they are usually able to provide information about organizations that might accept donated equipment and supplies in your area.

While there is not room to list them all here, there are many non-profits that refurbish and redistribute surplus medical supplies, wheelchairs and other equipment worldwide. A short Internet search revealed these candidates for your re-gifting efforts: Hope Haven International, Global Health Ministries, the World Access Project (focuses on providing wheelchairs and equipment to Mexico), REMEDY (Recovered Medical Equipment for the Developing World), Doc2Dock (affiliated with the Clinton Global Initiative) and MedShare. Spending a few minutes to research available information about their missions, and how they operate, is always a good idea before making any donations.

As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities to practice the art of regifting in a manner that will really make a difference in the quality of someone's life. If you don't have any surplus items that you want to pass along, all is not lost. You can always pass on a few dollars to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation or other similar organizations that are working hard to make positive changes in all of our lives.

Have a great holiday season!


© 2011 Michael Collins |