Family donates new Broda chair to The Legacy

Residents with Huntington’s Disease (HD) at The Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center received a special gift from community members in mid-August: a Broda chair. This unique wheel chair provides safe, stable positioning for the resident—enhancing patient safety, comfort, and quality of life.

The Broda chair was donated in memory of a HD warrior and resident, Justin Fender, who passed away in 2018 at 36 years old after a long battle with HD.

“Justin would have appreciated having a specialized chair like this and we want others with Huntington's to have the opportunity,” said Marvin Tabor, a family member who contributed to the chair donation.

Justin’s children Autumn Fuernisen, 13, and Logan Fuernisen, 15, are members of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America National Youth Alliance, which is a collection of children, teens and young adults from across the country who are impacted by HD. They advocate, learn, and fundraise on behalf of the Alliance, and were selling raffle tickets for a Broda chair. Autumn and Logan’s grandparents, Terri and Marvin Tabor, purchased numerous raffle tickets from the kids, who ultimately won it at the national conference earlier this year.

For those who don’t know, HD is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. Over time, HD affects the individual’s ability to reason, walk, and speak. Movement disorders are associated with HD and can include both involuntary movement problems and impairments in voluntary movements such as:

• Involuntary jerking or writing movements
• Muscle problems such as rigidity or muscle contracture
• Slow or abnormal eye movement
• Impaired gait, posture and balance
• Difficulty with physical production of speech or swallowing.

“Our overall goal at The Legacy is to improve the quality of life through socializing, quality health care, and creating meaningful relationships,” said The Legacy Administrative Director of Nursing, Chelsey Petersen during the donation ceremony. “We don’t have the ability to choose the health problems that we face, but we are able to choose a great life while being safe. Thank you for your gracious donation.”

Campbell County Health and The Legacy are grateful to have compassionate people in the community who are thinking of others. The donation of this new and specialized chair for residents at The Legacy is a true gift. As a healthcare facility, and due to infection prevention standards, CCH is not always able to accept donations of furniture and equipment, but this Broda chair is brand new. We may not accept gently used items for residents to use. If you wish to donate items to Campbell County Health, please contact Community Relations at 307.688.1580.

Pictured from left to right are family members Autumn, Terri, Marvin, and Logan. In the center is Jenn, a resident at The Legacy who suffers from Huntington's Disease and will be using the Broda chair.