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New Challenge to Guinness World Record

May 7, 2015

FD blog

Lee Isaacs and Myrna Peterson

UPDATE — Myrna Lee Mania “Come Roll With Us” smashes world record.

The formation of the world’s largest moving wheelchair line was a success! Peterson and Isaacs shattered the previous Guinness World Record of 193 wheelchairs in motion by 157 chairs — for a total of 350 rolling “wheelers”. Bystanders jumped in when pushers were required and moved barricades back when more room was needed.

See the original article below…

The Guinness World Record for longest wheelchair line is about to be challenged. Two long-time companions from Grand Rapids, MN, both in wheelchairs, want to break that record.

Disability activist, Myrna Peterson, and her friend Lee Isaacs were injured in separate accidents 20 years ago. They share a special bond in their mission.

“We were both injured on the exact same day, we’re both from Deer Lake, both airlifted to Duluth, both had the same surgeons and both came back home,” says Peterson, a retired teacher and mother of four.

Over the years, this friendship-team has organized events designed to bring awareness of the challenges of maneuvering a wheelchair around rural Minnesota. This time, the stakes are higher.

The former record for longest wheelchair line, 193 chairs, is held by the Christopher Reeve Foundation. It was set back in 2010 to commemorate the 20th  anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “We want to break the record so, so bad,” Peterson says.

Here is a photo of what the longest line looked like back in 2010:

longest_wheelchair_line

This time around, Myrna and Lee are gathering all their own participants from the Minneapolis-St.Paul area. “We’ve talked to the Courage Center, Gillette Children’s Hospital, Jack Jablonski’s foundation, all the nursing homes around here and the assisted living centers here.”

The high-profile challenge unfolds on  May 16 when people in wheelchairs head to the Civic Center parking lot in Grand Rapids, MN. They will form a line, and eventually move in a figure eight or a circle for at least a minute. The event will be fully documented. Guinness requires that a video camera record the event both at ground level and from above. The local fire department is bringing  a crane from which the photographers can record the event.

We’ll tell you the results on Facebook and Twitter.

To learn more go to www.myrnaleemania.com

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One response to “New Challenge to Guinness World Record”

  1. GF says:

    There has been a new product developed called the P.R.I.D Systems (Pressure Release Independence Device) and has launched it’s website. The device assists a person to forward lean for a complete pressure release. Forward leaning pressure releasing has been found to be the most effective. Check the website to learn more about P.R.I.D. Systems .com

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