Help us get Braxton a wheelchair accessible van!
One of the biggest challenges for me is to reach out for help. But our journey with Braxton has taught me that I cannot do this alone. I must reach to God, to family and friends, and strangers, to provide for my children what I cannot. Honestly it is still difficult to do, but I reach out to you now. If you are in a position for help fund a wheelchair accessible van, we would greatly appreciate your help.
I am currently lifting a 70lbs specialty wheelchair in and out of the back of a typical minivan, and lifting Braxton in and out of a carseat, to go anywhere. However, he is getting to the upper limits of this being feasible, and for his safety, and my own back, we are needing to transition to a handicap van. Handicap vans can be very expensive, even used. With Braxton’s additional medical needs and his little siblings being in carseats, only certain configurations of seating will work for our family. We have tried to purchase an older used handicap van, only to find it was not road safe, as these vehicles are made in the USA and not equipped to last many years in our winters, and the bottom section of the van that had been modified for the wheelchair had been rotted out. So we are needing to get a newer side access wheelchair accessible van. I have started to work weekends, on top of Brock working full time, to earn funds for a downpayment. Yet the van is still out of our reach.
The truth is, life is often very difficult. Braxton is now 6 years old and cannot sit up unassisted, roll over, talk, or eat orally. He is visually impaired. He is reliant on his wheelchair to go out and spends much of his time in a hospital bed at home. He has seizures daily. He still has many trips to the hospital. We have nurses in our house and to accompany him to school. He has had three major surgeries this year. However, Braxton is a patient and courageous boy. He puts up with so many test, pokes, and surgeries with barely a fuss. He enjoys a good joke and to laugh at me when I’m doing something silly. He loves to be outside and hear birds and frogs and watch the sunset. We have learned he has so much strength and character inside a body that continuously fails him. We have stopped focusing on all the “what ifs” of the future, and instead got to work to make our time together as beneficial and meaningful as possible.
We have set up a fundraising website. We would sincerely appreciate if you could make a donation or help to spread the word.
www.gofundme.com/f/wheelchair-accessible-van-for-braxton
Thank you for all your love and generosity.
I am currently lifting a 70lbs specialty wheelchair in and out of the back of a typical minivan, and lifting Braxton in and out of a carseat, to go anywhere. However, he is getting to the upper limits of this being feasible, and for his safety, and my own back, we are needing to transition to a handicap van. Handicap vans can be very expensive, even used. With Braxton’s additional medical needs and his little siblings being in carseats, only certain configurations of seating will work for our family. We have tried to purchase an older used handicap van, only to find it was not road safe, as these vehicles are made in the USA and not equipped to last many years in our winters, and the bottom section of the van that had been modified for the wheelchair had been rotted out. So we are needing to get a newer side access wheelchair accessible van. I have started to work weekends, on top of Brock working full time, to earn funds for a downpayment. Yet the van is still out of our reach.
The truth is, life is often very difficult. Braxton is now 6 years old and cannot sit up unassisted, roll over, talk, or eat orally. He is visually impaired. He is reliant on his wheelchair to go out and spends much of his time in a hospital bed at home. He has seizures daily. He still has many trips to the hospital. We have nurses in our house and to accompany him to school. He has had three major surgeries this year. However, Braxton is a patient and courageous boy. He puts up with so many test, pokes, and surgeries with barely a fuss. He enjoys a good joke and to laugh at me when I’m doing something silly. He loves to be outside and hear birds and frogs and watch the sunset. We have learned he has so much strength and character inside a body that continuously fails him. We have stopped focusing on all the “what ifs” of the future, and instead got to work to make our time together as beneficial and meaningful as possible.
We have set up a fundraising website. We would sincerely appreciate if you could make a donation or help to spread the word.
www.gofundme.com/f/wheelchair-accessible-van-for-braxton
Thank you for all your love and generosity.