I saw my father Terry, a formerly active and hardworking man, become physically restricted due to an illness. It took its toll on all of us.
When Dad first told me of his decision to purchase a device to help with his mobility, I must
admit I was a little sceptical. My thinking was it would be a gadget and not a great one at that.
To say I was wrong is an understatement!
Dad contacted me to say he wanted to visit Auckland so we arranged to meet for lunch with some of his friends and old work acquaintances.
My first introduction to the Atto was in the hotel lobby. On arrival to pick up Dad and his wife Noriko, I was informed we needed to wait for a bit as Dad was showing his new friendly mobility scooter to a couple of folks who also considered buying an Atto.
Giving these meetings half my attention, I waited thinking of the lunch ahead. What I did happen to notice was that the people interested in the Atto definitely faced a similar struggle. Even though all three of them suffered from different illnesses, they had all become limited in their ability to get around easily and travel. To go to lunch at a restaurant - let alone travel by airplane - required much organisation and logistics.
When Dad was finished, I pulled up outside of the hotel and Dad managed to walk himself out to the car. Noriko approached the car with the Atto in “trolly mode” (like a carry on suitcase). We loaded the Atto into the boot and away we went.
When we arrived, I attempted to drop Dad near the entrance so he wouldn’t have to walk far. I thought I still needed to make things easy for him. I assumed that if he had an option not to use the Atto, surely he would prefer that.
He quickly let me know we could go to the car park, just as we would regularly do.
We parked the car and I lifted the Atto out of the boot. Within a few seconds (yes, seconds), Noriko clicked a few buttons and transformed this suitcase into its ”travel mode.” Thinking about this now puts a smile on my face. Before I could lock up the car, Dad was at the lift yelling back to us to ‘hurry up.’
Seeing him drive his Atto into the restaurant that day and again at dinner that evening is a fond memory.
He was confident. He was happy to tell people about his Atto. Both strangers and friends were interested and impressed, some commented that their mums or close friends could use one. I realised that this wasn’t just a gadget, it was a highly streamlined transportation device that gave its users a sense of dignity and self-worth despite their limitations. I felt compelled to facilitate more positive transformations by bringing the Atto to more New Zealanders.
This is what prompted me to make contact with the makers of the Atto. Before I knew it I was flying to Tel Aviv, Israel to meet with Rafy David, the C.E.O of Movinglife Ltd! Learning how the Atto came to be and feeling the company’s passion for helping people firsthand made me feel I had made the right decision in reaching out.
Watching a sale being done while I was there was something I will never forget. A young lady came in with her parents to have a demonstration of the Atto. She was planning to attend university in the coming year but had issues getting to and from. Even though I was unable to understand Hebrew I could see that this product was going to change her life.
As her parents walked and talked with the salesperson, I was able to see the smile on her face as she drove the Atto ahead of them. I could she felt true independence. The sight of her parents grinning ear to ear as she learned how to fold and unfold the Atto was enough for me to realise this was a company I wanted to be involved with.
Fast forward ahead, after more meetings with various teams and personally deconstructing the Atto with technicians, I finally managed to secure the distribution rights within New Zealand.
To put it simply, the Atto is doing great things for great people. To know the company behind it is driven by a desire to improve your loved ones quality of life makes me proud to be the representative for MovingLife and the Atto in New Zealand.
Have a question? Please give us
a call or fill out the contact form.
We'd love to hear from you.