Wayne Harwood

Wayne Harwood worked as an apprentice electrician in the Toronto area following high school for about three years. He then decided to attend college, graduating from Centennial College with a degree in computer science and microwave systems. Following college, he worked in the cable TV industry for two years, and then moved to Calgary where he worked in the design and drafting department of Alberta Gas. Wayne’s job consisted of laying out power and lighting for gas metering stations on the pipeline. Following this, he moved to Delta Projects Limited, and was involved in the design and layout of explosion proof power and lighting for large gas plants around Alberta. After moving back to Toronto, he worked for an electrical engineering/consulting firm laying out power and lighting systems for the Sun Life twin towers. He also worked for Scarborough Public Utilities, designing and laying out underground power lines, and assisting engineers with transformer station and line build proposals. While at SPU, he received his green card, allowing him to follow his brother and move to the U.S. to be with his fiancée.

After moving to the Phoenix area Wayne worked for Salt River Projects, where his duties mirrored what he had been doing for Scarborough Public Utilities.

Severely degenerated disc and hip issues, combined with the effects from Wayne’s stroke made it difficult to walk. Insurance did not cover a walker, so Wayne purchased it himself. He was not progressing well with the walker, so he was looking for a lightweight wheelchair in order to become more mobile. He came upon the MagShock Fold and Go wheelchair, which seemed perfectly suited for his needs. It’s lightweight design and folding capability allowed his wife to be able to transport it to and from doctor appointments, while making it easier to get around in general. Once again, insurance would not cover it, and that is when Wayne applied to the Joseph Groh foundation for assistance. Our foundation worked with the I GOT Legs foundation (who also provided a grant) in order to fund Wayne’s wheelchair. You can follow the link below to see Wayne in his new wheelchair. Both Wayne and all of us at the foundation are extremely grateful to our donors for making this possible!