Kristopher
This is Kristopher Ouellette, ROVI Ambassador, and this is his story…
Kristopher is a busy 29 year old with an active lifestyle and the ROVI X3 compliments his personal style and active needs perfectly. Kristopher has a spinal cord injury at T-8, and has been using a combination of power and manual wheelchairs for mobility since 2011. A true problem solver, Kristopher works at Verizon Wireless in the Customer Relations Team as a Technical Support Expert. When he was researching a new power mobility system, he found the styling of the ROVI X3 really caught his eye, but when he tried it for himself he knew right away he’d found the perfect blend of style and nimble performance to tackle his daily environments.
This is Kristopher's Story
- Written by Cody Verrett
Kristopher, being the savvy consumer that he is, first popped up on the ROVI Facebook page while his system was in the pre-authorization stage when he saw the X3 was soon getting black tires. He immediately knew he had to take action and see if he could secure this new look for his system too. ROVI’s President, Cody Verrett, often engages with customers on social media and took an immediate interest in Kristopher’s quest for black tires. Excited to make this happen he coordinated with the production teams in New York to make sure Kristopher’s X3 arrived with black tires about 2 months ahead of the full production launch.
You see, Kristopher had a lot more going on than just climbing the corporate ladder at Verizon Wireless. Kristopher was soon getting married! When he saw pictures on the internet of the X3 with black tires, he knew he had to try and do something. Its a small lesson in self-advocacy, but an important one….if you don’t speak up, who will? This kind of initiative immediately created a friendship between Kristopher and Cody that carries on today.
The following is part of a recent interview between Cody and Kristopher….
In your own words, what does your ROVI mean to you?
To me, ROVI means freedom to live my life and endless opportunities. ROVI has given me a future and opportunities that were once unreachable because of limitations I was facing physically. When I was in other chairs, I felt limited and often assumed that was how others saw me. With ROVI, I am confident and free to be myself. I never let anyone get pictures of me in my old power chair and this past year, I paid someone to take pictures of my beautiful fiancé and myself for our engagement with me in my chair! I am able to do simple things in life such as going grocery shopping but also fun things such as going to sporting events and planning a wedding. I truly have been given my life back thanks to ROVI and I can say without a doubt that ROVI will be joining me on all of my adventures in life going forward.
You have a great message, how can we share it with others?
I am very passionate about ROVI and believe that you have made a superior chair that deserves to be shared with all of those out there looking to get into a new power wheelchair. I want everyone to get to experience the freedom that I have gotten from owning a ROVI. When I was looking at getting a ROVI there was one piece that was really missing for me which was black tires. The fact that your organization took my personal desires and made it possible for me to have black tires stood out to me as a significant difference to how many wheelchair manufacturers respond. To many it would have seemed ridiculous that it was so important to me but it really did mean the difference of feeling confident and proud of my wheelchair. Being in a wheelchair comes with many different views from the outside world but what really matters is how each person feels in their chair. I am extremely excited to get involved in any way possible to make ROVI a common name among power wheelchair users.
What’s life like for you outside of work?
I would much rather be busy than to sit doing nothing all day every day but I do also like an occasional lazy day to relax and appreciate all of the things life has to offer. My body can’t always keep up with my want to adventure but I have learned over the years how to find balance and still get out to enjoy things. I am currently working on my Industrial and Organizational Psychology Masters and I love everything about it because it teaches me to have a different perspective and challenges me to find creative solutions. I am a big picture person and I am constantly looking to improve processes. I have many ideas and I am a very vocal person and willing to share my opinions and thoughts freely. I find value in doing things differently than the ways that haven’t worked in the past and I am not afraid to try new things. I believe life is what you make it and that you have a choice every day on how you will react to the triumphs and challenges.
