Winnipeg woman raising money to buy wheelchair of her dreams

Even for the able-bodied, navigating Winnipeg sidewalks in the winter has its challenges. But for Danielle Otto, who is in a wheelchair that weighs around 300 pounds, those challenges can be far more serious.

"I think I've actually gotten myself stuck," said Otto. 

The 24-year-old Otto has cerebral palsy, a condition that, among other symptoms, affects muscle coordination.

Otto said that in the past, she has been stuck for more than 30 minutes at a time before someone has helped her out.

"The risk of getting stuck is always there, so that's a big worry in the back of my mind," said Otto. "I don't always know if there will be a passerby to come help me."

Otto is determined to not let her disability get in her way. She graduated from university with a degree in psychology and hopes to study law.

"I don't want to have to wait on other people to get where I have to go," she said. "I want to be able to get there on my own steam."

So, in that spirit of determination, Otto has launched a GoFundMe page to try and raise money for her dream wheelchair.

The chair has better suspension and beefier tires suitable for negotiating snow and ice-covered Winnipeg roads and sidewalks.

The problem: the chair isn't covered through the Manitoba Community Wheelchair Program and comes at a cost of $30,000.

"It would mean so much to me," said Otto. "It would be a whole new peace of mind and a new freedom that I think most people take for granted."

As of Sunday night, Otto had raised around $6,000. By 6:30 p.m. Monday, the total had risen to just under $10,000.

Anyone interested in helping Otto reach her goal can make donations through her GoFundMe campaign page. (Click the link to the left of this article.)