Letters of application and complaint

Dear Dir. Orr: I am writing with enthusiasm after discovering your Swim With Mike scholarship that provides financial resources for advanced education to physically challenged athletes so that they can overcome their tragedies and realize their full potential. The name of the scholarship is what really grabbed my attention, because I was a four year varsity swimmer for Blue Valley High School, and am now bound to a wheelchair. Swimming was one of the most Important things to me before my accident I have a rather diverse athletic background; before I even thought of swimming to be my sport, I ere up as a football and baseball player.

Winning tournaments, receiving trophies with my team mates , and earning medals was part of my childhood. It wasn’t until highlights that I became a swimmer, and I walked onto the varsity team after the coach described my stroke as natural and the swimmers Joked that I was a prodigy. We won state that year and the following year. Being a part of that Inspired me to work harder than I ever Imagined possible. I Invested myself In and out of season on a goal of breaking the school’s 100 yard breaststroke record after two of my mates came within a tenth of a second at the past two state championships.

Lifting weights really helped me take my swimming to the next level; because I was shorter than most of my competitors, my coach emphasized that I put on more lean muscle mass. After gaining 30 pounds of muscle in an a year and a half, I broke the school record by a second and a half at the state championship my senior year. There Is no better feeling than completing a goal that you have been focused on for years. Three weeks after I broke the school record, I dove into the ocean in Playa del

Carmen, Mexico and broke something tragically different – my 5th cervical vertebra. I am now paralyzed from the chest down, but there is no way that I am going to let that stop me from accomplishing my goals and reaching my dreams, Just as I did in the pool some short time ago. This Is why the Swim With Mike scholarship would benefit me so well; when I set a goal, I do what It takes and I never give up. I respectfully request your consideration of my enclosed application for the swim With Mike Scholarship. Sincerely, Alex Dear Icing Customer Service:

I would Like to file a complaint and better learn about the process for filing an appeal on a recent claim. I made a claim on May 1 5th, 2014 for a specialty commode shower chair costing $3,220, and was denied for the reason that Icing did not see it as being medically necessary. In the following paragraph I will explain why this shower chair is medically necessary due to the level of my injury. My morning routine consists of a transfer using a sling and a powered lift Into my toilet for a bowel program. This can take anywhere from an hour to two hours.

If I didn’t have my shower chair I would have to transfer to my wheelchair, transfer to a shower bench, transfer back to my wheelchair, transfer onto a toilet, transfer back to my wheelchair again, and then finally transfer back into bed to change and finish my morning routine. This would take more than three hours. As a C-5 quadriplegic without full functionality of my arms, little functionality of my wrists, and no functionality of my fingers, trunk, or legs, doing six transfers would tire me out before I would even get out of my room to start the day.

More importantly, with my limited mobility and no abdominal control or balance, it’s not possible for me to sit on a shower bench without falling. I have always been pleased with Icing and have been thankful for good insurance through this time of adjustment since my injury on March 17th. This adjustment would be made easier if I could be reimbursed the $3,220. I respectfully submit my complaint of your denial of my claim for a shower chair and ask for your consideration of my unique situation and direction on filing an appeal. Sincerely,