Hope Foundation, Operation Search and Help Purchase Wheelchair for Student

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Thanks to the efforts of the Hope Foundation of the Mahoning Valley and Operation Search and Help, 17-year-old Lianne Flores has a new wheelchair.

Flores was diagnosed with Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy when she was 8. The special wheelchair will enable her to stand, thus keeping her healthy and allowing her to attend college, according to a press release.

“Her parents, myself and her brother and sisters are very happy with the support and help provided to Lianne with this special chair,” her grandmother, Rose Flores, said in the release. “This is a dream that will provide an opportunity to make life easier for Lianne.”

The custom-made wheelchair was provided by National Seating and Mobility Inc.

Funded through The Youngstown Foundation, Operation Search and Help provides last-dollar funding assistance to children from birth to age 21 in Mahoning County, Liberty, Girard or Hubbard who are diagnosed with a medical disability.

“It is our pleasure to partner with the Hope Foundation to provide Lianne with the independence she needs to live her life to the fullest,” said Shari Buchmann of Operation Search and Help.

Pictured: Lianne Flores and her physical therapist, Frank Bell (Image: Hope Foundation of the Mahoning Valley).

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.