DISABILITY

STELLAR TRANSPORT: A REVIEW

| Jen
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Stellar Transport is a non-emergency medical transportation service based in Melbourne, Florida. I had the opportunity to use Stellar Transport on November 19, 2025, and the experience prompted me to write this review.

A paraplegic and power chair user since 2011, I am a seasoned passenger when it comes to wheelchair-accessible transportation (ie. vans, buses, and trains). This was not my first rodeo. After moving to Brevard County in 2018, I made use of a non-profit that provided free rides to people with disabilities for medical appointments. I was lucky, because there weren’t a lot of options. Local wheelchair-accessible cabs are, unfortunately, unreliable and services, like Stellar, are pricey. This last year the non-profit lost their funding to provide rides and with a new doctor appointment on the horizon, I decided to give Stellar a try.

The driver arrived on time in a wheelchair-accessible van, equipped with a ramp at the rear. The driver was courteous and professional, though he did not offer his name. I had to ask him for it. The inside of the van was cluttered with gear and equipment, including a loose oxygen tank lying on the floor. The driver had to remove a transport chair to create room for me and after I rolled into the van, he crammed the transport chair behind me. I was so distracted by the clutter wedged around me, and thoughts of my pending appointment, that I failed to notice that the driver had not properly anchored my power chair.

He asked if i was seat belted into my chair. I said I was. He then closed the back door and got into the driver’s seat. After pulling up the address of my appointment on this tablet, the driver headed out. Halfway to our destination, the driver suddenly slammed on the gas and made a hard right. The force was great enough to actually tip my 350 lb. power chair to the left and I was slammed hard into it’s armrest. I cried out as pain enveloped my left knee and hip. The driver quicky pulled to a stop by the side of the road and looked back at me. The chair had already tilted back, righting itself, and I was gasping in pain.

I cried out that I was stuck. I had been thrown over the armrest, unable to right myself. The driver got out and opened the left side door to help me straighten up. Once sitting properly in my chair again, the pain in my hip and knee started to subside. The loose oxygen tank on the floor, however, was now wedged under my chair’s right foot plate. The driver kept asking what happened and I told him that my chair had tilted over. He looked at me like he didn’t believe me. Never once did he apologize. The driver then directed me out of the van, so he could properly anchor the chair. We then continued on to my appointment.

Our arrival at the office plaza was uneventful and after escorting me to the doctor’s office, the driver left. As I sat in the waiting room, I started to shake, then I cried. From what I could tell, I had no serious injuries. I was battered and shaken. During my appointment, I chose not to ask the doctor to check me over. I just didn’t want to deal with it. I tried to pretend the accident hadn’t happened. After my appointment, I called Stellar to tell them I was ready for my return trip. Another driver arrived promptly with a much larger van. He was also courteous and professional, and also didn’t offer his name. I still asked for it.

The vehicle had a lift. The driver had no problem operating the lift and getting me in the vehicle. Unfortunately, this vehicle too was cluttered with random equipment. Stuff was everywhere. I barely had room to turn, without catching an odd item under my wheels. At least three loose oxygen tanks were lying on the floor. Any one of these loose pieces of equipment could become a deadly projectile in an accident. This type of clutter is not safe. The driver properly anchored my chair, put a shoulder strap seat belt on me, and then we headed out. The drive home was uneventful and so was disembarking, as it should be.

After returning home, almost half an hour passed before I was finally able to share with my husband what had happened to me. I then called Stellar to lodge a complaint. I received an apology, a full refund, and was assured their drivers would undergo additional safety training. Later that night, as I was getting undressed, I found a small abrasion along the left side of my waist. It was from my power chair’s seat belt. It actually made the abrasion through my clothing. That’s how much force I was subjected to. I may be a rough-and-tumble Jersey Girl, but this accident really shook me. Needless to say, I won’t be using Stellar again.

I’ll be taking the bus from now on.

-Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy

More Reviews Here.

Not in Kansas Anymore (www.notinksanymore.com) is a site/blog authored and managed by Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy (pwrchr-dorothy). This site/blog is intended to provide educational and research information, and to share the author’s journey.

THE SOUP SOLUTION

| Jen
Photograph of a Bowl of Soup by Mich Wich from Pixabay

I love a warm, comforting bowl of soup. Unfortunately, most canned and boxed soups contain ingredients that don’t exactly agree with me (ie. food sensitivities). The same with soups from most restaurants. Of course, the cost of buying healthier soups that contain less problematic ingredients can be prohibitive. And let’s not forget the cost of eating out and take out. The obvious solution, of course, is to simply make my own soup. Being a woman who knows how to cook, making my own soup should be easy, but as a woman with disabilities, my ability to physically cook is limited. Therefore, to create my own soup at home, I had to problem solve.

After much trial and error, I finally found success working at a smaller scale and relying on helpful cooking shortcuts, like my restorative broth mixes. I discovered that 4-cup, handled bowls work best for me. They are easier to manage, physically, than a large soup pot and can be easily put in the microwave. To eliminate the need for the cleaning and cutting of fresh ingredients, I experimented with dried, powdered, frozen, and even canned/jarred ingredients. By the end, I managed to develop several tasty recipes for single serving soups.

I also love Thai Curries and managed to create single serving versions of them as well. Even though Thai curries are technically not soups, I tend to treat them like soups and therefore have grouped those recipes in with my single serving soups.

SINGLE SERVING SOUPS

These soups also contain anti-inflammatory foods. Those anti-inflammatory foods being Carrots, Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts, Pumpkin, Peanuts, and the ingredients in the Broth Mixes.

As a woman with Multiple Sclerosis (MS),I use these soups to help manage my MS. When I discovered that inflammation causes MS relapses, with relapses being the worsening of current or creation of new MS symptoms, I incorporated these soups into my beneficial diet to help manage inflammation. And managing inflammation helps manage my MS.

I share these recipes, in the hopes of helping others. Enjoy.

-Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy

Not in Kansas Anymore (www.notinksanymore.com) is a site/blog authored and managed by Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy (pwrchr-dorothy). This site/blog is intended to provide educational and research information, and to share the author’s journey.

The author of this site/blog is not a medical physician and this site/blog does not provide medical advice. This site/blog contains information that should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation or the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. If you choose to apply or implement any information posted at this site/blog, you do so at your own risk.

THE BROTH MIX FIX

| Jen
Photograph of Broths and Ingredients by Bluebird Provisions from Pixabay

I had an epiphany one day as I was preparing a bowl of ramen. I looked at the little seasoning packet and thought, “What if I made a broth mix, loaded with anti-inflammatory ingredients, that could replace this packet?”

First, a dry ingredient broth mix would be more accessible, being a woman with disabilities. It would be easier to make and easier to physically handle, than a liquid broth. A dry ingredient broth mix would also be shelf-stable. I could also control the quality and strength of the ingredients (vegetable powders and spices) I put in the broth mix, while avoiding unhealthy chemicals and fillers. Loading the broth mix with anti-inflammatory ingredients would help combat inflammation. Make it tasty too and such a broth mix would be amazing.

It took quite a bit of experimenting and testing, but I did it. I created several very tasty broth mixes. that contain some of my favorite anti-inflammatory foods. The resulting broths give me such a pick-me-up (ie. make me feel better), I refer to them as Restorative Broth Mixes. It wasn’t long before I realized that these broth mixes could be used to make more than just broth. They can be used as cooking shortcuts to make soups, sauces, dips, and salad dressings, as well as, used to season rice, vegetables, and proteins like fish, shrimp, chicken, and pork. They can even be made vegan.

RESTORATIVE BROTH MIXES

As a woman with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), I use these broth mixes to help manage my MS. When I discovered that inflammation causes MS relapses, with relapses being the worsening of current or creation of new MS symptoms, I incorporated these broth mixes into my beneficial diet to help manage inflammation. And managing inflammation helps manage my MS.

I share these recipes, in the hopes of helping others.

-Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy

Not in Kansas Anymore (www.notinksanymore.com) is a site/blog authored and managed by Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy (pwrchr-dorothy). This site/blog is intended to provide educational and research information, and to share the author’s journey.

The author of this site/blog is not a medical physician and this site/blog does not provide medical advice. This site/blog contains information that should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation or the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. If you choose to apply or implement any information posted at this site/blog, you do so at your own risk.