Sandy beach won't stop wheelchairs

GULF SHORES, Ala. - As the weather heats up, many people head to the beach. That includes some people who haven't had access to the sand in a very long time.

Jerry Nasello's legs are losing power. Four years ago, Nasello was diagnosed with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"When I first got diagnosed, I experienced weakness and fatigue," said Nasello. "It's a progressive disease so it started getting worse."

ALS weakened Nasello's body but not his spirit. The disease made it difficult for the Gulf Shores resident to visit the beach, so he devised a solution - the Beach Chair.

"At first I was only interested in building a chair for myself. My wife said that's kind of selfish, you ought to build more of them so other people can use them."

In his garage, Nasello spent countless hours trying to create the battery-powered wheel chair for the sand. He wasn't alone though, a former caregiver lent a hand.

"We got along really well and we started working on this and he told me, I got a business proposition for you," said Tammy Fortenberry, his business partner at Beach Power Rentals. "I said heck yeah, when do you want to start?"

Made from recycled parts and old wheelchairs, the Beach Chair uses large balloon tires to help the disabled stroll along the sand. Among the satisfied customers includes a quadriplegic who had not been on the beach in years.

"We had to belt him, adjust him, move him, get him comfortable," Nasello recalled. "Took him down there and he was just giddy like a 3-year-old. I don't know about you, that does something to me."

Something powerful.

There are 8 beach chairs currently available for rent at "Beach Power Rentals in Gulf Shores. Nasello and Fortenberry intend to build more this summer.

The rental fee is $40 a day or $210 a week.

Click here to visit the Beach Power Rentals website, or call 251-967-3729 for more information.