The excruciating story of a man seeking mobility for sedentary humans in developing countries, a mission that eventually enlightened his vision towards spirituality. A biomedical engineer in the midst of spirituality finds his perfect purpose after one of his daughters was diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Don Schoendorfer loved the road, his go-kart's transition into a speed machine and reckless adventure in the waters of Lake Erie. After graduating from Columbia University, he took off on another of his long aspirational journeys, this time earning a doctorate in biomedical engineering from MIT. Don Schoendorfer and his wife encountered a woman crawling on her stomach in the streets of Morocco and they just couldn't get rid of the intensity of pain and suffering they just came by. Accordingly, he decides to set aside his patents and the "billionaire dream" to work full time on his free wheelchair mission. The journey which began from literally 'smuggling' four wheelchairs into India, is currently touching [or carrying] the lives of more than a million people. The prototype built from a lawn chair, mountain bike tires and a frame, took its initial tests maneuvering a pastor in a parking lot. These wheelchairs were designed not to suffice luxury amenities, rather focus on the very purpose of its creation - mobility.

A thoughtful yet humorous memoir of a transformative life.

I requested this book on NetGalley because, as a 20-year career Physical Therapist, this book interested me and, of course the topic is one I have some expertise on. I feel that the work the author has done is impressive and deserving of accolades. My only concern is that it tends to somewhat overlook how much this problem (impoverished people with severe disabilities and lack of access to appropriate healthcare and needed medical equipment) is prevalent in our own country, the United States. I deal with this issue multiple times a week with my patients and find myself climbing into dumpsters, begging friends and family for donations, in a CONSTANT battle with insurance companies who rarely cover DME (Durable Medical Equipment) trying to find appropriate items so that my patients can just have their basic needs met. I don't know how many times I've scavenged painters' buckets from the side of the road and attached padding to the top to make a sort of modified bedside commode for a patient who can't get to a bathroom and needs a place to urinate and defecate that isn't in their own bedding. So many citizens don't have any caregiver or advocate to assist them. Hundreds of thousands of our homeless are severely disabled and die due to lack of access to appropriate care. There are countless Physical and Occupational Therapists (among other Healthcare Providers) out on the streets every day modifying and scraping together parts to try to provide anything, even inadequate at best equipment to our patients. The work missions like the one the author took do in impoverished countries is so important, I definitely don't want to minimize that, but I would have liked to see more attention on the fact that we don't do much better in our own country with our own healthcare system, and honestly, we could learn a lot about healthcare from many poorer nations who do a much better job than we do at ensuring everyone at least has access to basic care. I do recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the problems associated with lack of access to care and appropriate equipment for disabled individuals as this is an extremely important topic that has the potential to affect any one of us. None of us are getting younger and as we age, our risk of disability increases, and coverage for medical equipment is horrific in this country.

As I have said many times before, I always enjoy memoirs. When I see a Christian memoir offered for review, I almost always grab it. This week, I read Miracle Wheels. The subtitle explains this book clearly, The Story of a Mission to Bring Mobility to the World. In these pages, Dan describes what ended up being his life mission, and how he got there.
Don was born and raised in Ashtabula, Ohio. As a boy, he struggled with reading because of dyslexia. He spent his spare time building and modifying a go-kart, and trying to outwit the police with it. After graduating from high school, he entered a university, where his dream was to use technology to help people. He helped to develop several things there, then ended up in the corporate world. There, he helped develop new medical technologies. Then, through his daughter’s serious problems, Don and his wife started going to church and became Christians.
Don still wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. When he saw the way disabled people lived in third-world countries, he had the idea of building cheap wheelchairs that could be passed out there. He worked and experimented until he came up with a cheap, sturdy chair that would give the disabled the mobility and dignity they so desperately needed—and then he had to find a way to get it to them.
I found Miracle Wheels a very inspiring account. This was a man who, though he struggled with school, set himself the goal of going to MIT and learning everything he could, with the goal of helping people. I loved the way he gave God the glory for all the good he was able to do, even pointing out the fact that it was a terrible experience he and his wife went through with their daughter that brought about their turning to God as well as good that happened later. The stories about the disabled people he helped in third-world countries were heartbreaking. I never thought about the struggles such people faced, before.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Chapter 26 describes a terrible “treatment” by a shaman in Africa.

Miracle Wheels
The Story of a Mission to Bring Mobility to the World
by Don Schoendorfer with RC George
Pub Date 06 Dec 2022
Amplify Publishing Group, Mascot Books
Biographies & Memoirs | Christian | Religion & Spirituality


I am reviewing a copy of Miracle Wheels through Amplify PublishingGroup, Mascot Books and Netgalley:


For many years Dr. Don Schoendorfer pursued his vision of success. But a trip to Africa changed his life forever. The heartbreaking sights he witnessed on the streets of Morocco sent him on an unexpected path of faith, despair, and, ultimately, newfound purpose.


In Miracle Wheels you'll read the compelling account of Don’s journey, from his humble beginnings in the Midwest to his innovative work in the biomedical field, culminating in the founding of a nonprofit organization that has served millions around the world. This book is laced with humor while still dealing with the harsher realities of life, which includes family hardships. Don’s story leads you on an emotional exploration that spans the globe and intersects with world leaders as he strives to overcome challenges and serve some of the most vulnerable among us: people living with disabilities in developing countries.


I give Miracle Wheels five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Emotion pulsed through me as I read along throughout most of this autobiography of a most extra-ordinarily, interesting man, who used his accumulation of lifetime experience, talent, knowledge, and faith to bring life-changing hope to those with disabilities in developing countries. The book brought times of outright laughter, and then times of tears, of the sobbing sort, as this brother, powered by God and his desire to help these children and adults in places where they could not help themselves. There were so many touching scenes of joy and 'miracle' transformations. I especially loved the story of Lotus Blossom and her gift of mobility. It was truly remarkable! These wheelchairs were, and still are, Miracle Wheels indeed! They were fashioned by Dr. Schoendorfer with compassion and his deep, heartfelt desire to help get people up off the ground, both literally and figuratively.

I'd say this is a must read for one and all, and as one is reading, to think pro-actively of what oneself could do to help this cause with your own talents, and so forth, in your own particdular niche of the world. May each reader be so inspired.

The author has a mission called Free Wheechair Mission and you can find the organization on line for further details. Also in the addenda, one can find some discussion questions to help focus thinking about the needs of the disabled; pictures of the author, his family and some of those who were transformed by their free miracle wheels. Praise the Lord for such dedication and service.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

December 2022

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.