Toluca, Mexico (CNN) -- For decades, Richard St. Denis has advocated for the rights of Americans who, like him, are living with a disability. But the attorney from Colorado saw his life shift in 1997, when he was invited to speak in Mexico. "I was asked to bring one wheelchair to give to somebody," he remembers. "As I was waiting for the program to begin, I was shocked to see people using branches for crutches, being pushed in wheelbarrows and crawling." The lone wheelchair went to Leti Elizale Marcial, a 17-year-old suffering from polio. She had never walked a day in her life, and she was carried around daily by her mother.
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Richard St. Denis helps provide free wheelchairs for people in rural Mexico
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The wheelchairs are collected from the U.S., refurbished and custom-fit
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St. Denis' group also teaches people how to use their chairs and maximize their quality of life
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"People say, 'it's too dangerous in Mexico; why do you go there to help when you can help people in the @placeholder?'