«My BRO has made my life sweeter.»
Jürgen Kreuzer has been living in the Black Forest for 13 years. Originally from Karlsruhe, he moved to St. Georgen in the Black Forest for love, where he now lives with his wife. She is his «Schatzi» (Darling), as he affectionately calls her, and the most important person in his life. Jürgen himself is someone who loves being around people. In the past, he tried his hand at a wide variety of professions, but he particularly enjoys looking back on his time working in field sales and the opportunity it gave him to connect with many different people.
However, his health has significantly changed his everyday life in recent years. Jürgen has diabetes, has been a dialysis patient for eleven years and, among other conditions, lives with severe balance problems and dizziness. For a long time, he was unable to leave his home without assistance. For five years, he says, this made him a «prisoner in his own home». Since October 2025, the Scewo BRO has been part of his life. And suddenly, things that had long been anything but a given are possible again: leaving the house independently, getting out and about, meeting people and visiting places that he had never seen before, even after 13 years of living in the Black Forest.
32 steps to freedom
There are 32 steps between Jürgen’s first-floor apartment and the street. A number that means little to most people, but for a long time determined whether or not he could leave his home independently.
Today, the stair-climbing function is therefore one of the most important features of his BRO. «The most important thing is definitely the stair-climbing function because we live on the first floor. There are 32 steps from our apartment down to the street, and with the BRO I can go down them without any problems, without any rush, without any stress. And then, when the light outside opens up again, I enter a new freedom.»
This freedom now takes him right back into the midst of life. Sometimes he takes an accessible taxi to Villingen for a coffee, sometimes he heads out through his hometown of St. Georgen. And sometimes he visits places that are practically on his doorstep but had nevertheless remained out of reach for him. We accompanied him to the famous Triberg Waterfalls. Although he has lived in the Black Forest for 13 years, he had never been there before. «Today is a highlight for me and an absolutely wonderful experience, being able to take the BRO along these paths by the waterfall and through the forest.»
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease in which blood sugar levels remain permanently elevated. Over time, this can damage blood vessels and nerves. Possible complications include damage to the kidneys. If diabetes-related kidney damage progresses far enough, kidney function can become severely impaired and dialysis may be required.
Blood circulation and sensation in the feet can also be affected. As a result, small injuries may sometimes go unnoticed and wounds may heal more slowly. This can lead to diabetic foot syndrome with chronic wounds. In severe cases, amputation of individual toes or parts of the foot or lower leg may become necessary.
(Sources: Federal Ministry of Health Germany, gesund.bund.de, Diabetic Foot)
Saw it, knew it, applied for it
Jürgen did not need much time to think when he first discovered BRO on Facebook. «In February, I saw it on Facebook and immediately knew: that one belongs to me!» Just three weeks later, a Scewo employee visited him and gave him the opportunity to take a test drive. In October of the same year, his BRO was finally delivered. The costs were fully covered by his health insurance provider.
Jürgen has positive memories of the funding process. «Scewo did an excellent job with the health insurance provider. They took care of all the documents, all the information, and everything that needed to be done. I basically didn’t have to worry about anything.» Nevertheless, he has one piece of advice for anyone interested in applying: regularly ask the health insurance provider for an update and keep following up. He contacted them around once or twice a month himself and is convinced that this also helped move the process forward.
A piece of normality returns
Anyone who meets Jürgen quickly notices the joy and curiosity he brings to his interactions with others. With BRO, these encounters are now happening again in a whole new way. When Jürgen drives through St. Georgen, people stop, look curiously, and want to know what kind of wheelchair he is driving. The stair-climbing function in particular regularly attracts astonished looks. Jürgen is always happy to take the time to answer questions and explain BRO.
He is also rediscovering his surroundings. The route uphill through St. Georgen has gradients of around ten percent in places. Before his first trip, Jürgen even contacted the town to find out about the gradient. When he finally managed it himself, it became an experience he still enjoys looking back on: «The cars have to step on the gas here, while you just cruise calmly and comfortably up the pavement.» What may sound like an ordinary journey to others represents something much bigger for Jürgen. «It means freedom and independence without needing help from others.»
The sun is shining and life is beautiful
Despite everything the past few years have brought, Jürgen has held on to his positive outlook on life. His wife plays an important role in this. With her, he has found a home in the Black Forest, and he can rely on her support in everyday life. And with BRO, something else has been added to that support, something Jürgen had been missing for a long time: the ability to decide for himself where he wants to go and when. «In the end, the BRO has made my life sweeter and given me a new quality of life.»
Jürgen himself probably sums up his attitude toward life best: «No matter how bad things get, there is always a way to look ahead. Giving up is simply not an option.» Or, as he puts it in his very own motto: «The sun is shining and life is beautiful.»
