"Every airport needs to have an Eagle Lift available"
Kim Jago
Melbourne - Australia
My name is Kim Jago; I am 41 years old , have Spinal Muscular Atrophy and live in Melbourne Australia.
Firstly, I would like to say as a young woman rarely went on a holiday, however if I did it was only ever domestically throughout Australia and that was because the Eagle Lift was readily available. However, as I am getting older and my disability is deteriorating I know it was time to start seeing the world before it became impossible.
All I ever wanted to do was go to the most magical place in the world, Disneyland, so off I went to Los Angeles. This dream was possible because the Eagle Lift was available.
Two years later it was a must do – travel to Hong Kong on a Cunard Cruise Ship, however I need to return home, that is when I then found I had may hurdles to jump. Hong Kong did not have an Eagle Lift available to transfer me on my Qantas aircraft in a safe, respectful and dignified manner. As you can imagine I was devastated.
I then felt obliged to fight hard for a plight I strongly believed in. Anyone who has a disability and can not transfer from their wheelchair into an aircraft seat still has the right to see the world like anyone else. Here we have a piece of equipment ready to provide independence to someone like me and airlines and airports don’t see why this equipment is a must.
In my particular case, it wasn’t until I was blessed to find John McGuinness. With permission from Qantas, John flew over to Hong Kong and personally made the transfer for me to get home. The Eagle Lift ensures a respectful, comfortable and safe transfer from your wheelchair seat to the aircraft seat.
To me John is truly one in a million, not many people would do what John did for me. I can’t thank him enough. Every airport needs to have an Eagle Lift available to those in need. People should not have to fight for a simple right.
I, with John and many others, will continue to fight the world of aviation until there is change.