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Disabled Orlando homeless woman receives wheelchair donation

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The kindness of strangers has reached an Orlando homeless woman.

Channel 9’s Steve Barrett first reported about Melody, and her friend Orlando, in December.

Melody has been moving around in her broken wheelchair for years while panhandling.

She lost both feet, a hand, an ear and half her nose in a fire.

Earlier this week, Barrett and Melody visited K&M Rentals, a company that provides mobility equipment for tourists who can't travel with their own wheelchairs.

Melody tried different wheelchairs and had no idea she was about to receive a gift.

“We want them to feel like having something like that, it definitely helps them feel more independent,” said Pam Clark with K&M Rentals. “It's all about giving back; it's about giving back to each other.”

Melody said the wheelchair gives her more freedom and confidence as she and Orlando work toward a more stable life.

Steve Barrett

Steve Barrett, WFTV.com

Reporter Steve Barrett returned to WFTV in mid-2017 after 18 months in the Twin Cities, where he worked as Vice President of Communications for an Artificial Intelligence software firm aligned with IBM.

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