An Ontario man spent the last months of his life in an ill-fitting wheelchair. Years later, his mother is still demanding oversight

The last nine months of David O’Brien’s life were spent in discomfort and pain, according to his mother, as the wheelchair he had was not yet properly fitted for him.

The last nine months of David O’Brien’s life were spent in discomfort and pain as he waited for modifications to a wheelchair that did not comfortably fit him, his mother says.

David had Friedreich's ataxia, a rare genetic disorder, and relied on a power chair since the age of 13. He died in September 2018 after going into cardiac arrest.

“David would literally give you the shirt off his back,” his mother, Kitchener, Ont. resident Laurie O’Brien told CTV News Toronto, recounting a time her son returned home half-clothed after giving his shirt to a stranger in need.

In March 2018, David’s occupational therapist made a number of recommendations for modifications to David’s wheelchair. The current model no longer fit his needs, his medical records show. In the months prior he had reported growing back pain and had once fallen out completely, citing a broken seat. The needed parts were set to be delivered and installed by Motion LP, the company awarded the sole-source contract to distribute publicly funded mobility equipment in Ontario.

However, David was twice provided with ill-fitting replacement parts, records show.

While the third modification was requested, it was never installed, according to O’Brien. She said the company, which oversees funding and distribution of the Ontario Assistive Devices Program (ADP) also cancelled two appointments to modify the wheelchair to David’s needs in the weeks before her son’s death, prolonging his discomfort.

He never got the needed modifications.