A Legacy of Dignity,
A Future of Independence

Good afternoon, my name is Ronald Wilson and I want to talk with you about myself and about a design that I've been working on along with many other individuals.

First off, I broke my neck in an industrial accident on June 7th, 1993. I was an electrician working in a plant and I slipped above an elevator. My hand got caught in the machine, and then my neck broke. I was subsequently taken to the University of Michigan hospital, and many people worked very hard to save my life.

After my recovery, I told the doctors that I was leaving and they said "Mr. Wilson, you can't leave." And then I said — like Ron did — "just give us 30 days." But the trade-off was I had to live near the University of Michigan hospital.

I rented an apartment that was barrier-free, but barrier-free does not mean wheelchair-accessible. And for those two years that I lived there — baths are not an effective means of personal hygiene as a long-term solution.

And I developed a body odor. When you have a neurogenic bladder and bowel as I do, sometimes you have accidents — incontinent spells — and it can really ruin your day. And the odors sink into your skin, creating a host of issues both physical and psychological. It's not a good place to be.

Well, when I moved out and moved into a house, then I was able to take a shower. The first time I was able to take a shower, I cried. And I scrubbed myself, washing the odor that was in the pores of my skin. It took a while, but I pride myself with my personal hygiene. No matter how bad I feel every morning, my first stop is a shower and I feel a little better afterwards.

And when you suffer from chronic pain as I do, you take what you get in the way of feeling better.

Well, I was in the exam room a few years ago and the doctor wanted to examine me. And after he completes his exam he says "Mr. Wilson, you're clean." He says, "you are an outlier." He says, "in my tenure as a physician I've attended many individuals that for one reason or another were bound to a wheelchair." And he says, "bar none, they all have this unvalidated body odor, sometimes so severe it makes him want to gag."

And it got me to thinking — with my background as an electrician and electromechanical — I know that there was nothing in the marketplace that could accommodate me. And it really started me to think about this process — how I could design a portable shower.

I had this concept, and Wayne State University checked it out. They believed in me and opened some doors. And I'm very thankful to Dr. Grogan and to all the students that have worked on this project. But without all of them, this project would not be possible.

You can have the best idea in the world, but unless you are tech-savvy and know business and so many different things to make it to the marketplace, it won't happen. Wayne State — you have my eternal thanks.