Help Grayson’s journey to mobility freedom with a power wheelchair and wheelchair van.
When Grayson was born, we knew he had heart defects that required surgery. Even with knowing this, nothing could prepare us for the harsh reality of heart surgeries. At just 10 days old, we handed Grayson off to his surgeon. We never imagined that before the surgery would actually start, Grayson would go into cardiac arrest on the table. After 45 minutes of CPR, he was stable enough for life support. Unfortunately, we would later find out that he had brain bleeds and brain damage from what is thought to be a stroke. He spent his first 77 days in the hospital monitoring seizures and brain damage while having several heart procedures before he finally was stable enough for his heart surgery. Since then, he has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. At just 6 years old he can’t walk, can’t sit unassisted for long periods of time, and has speech delays. But none of this defines him. He can’t walk, but he can soar. He can’t say full sentences, but that makes the ‘I love you’s’ even more special. He has a laugh that is contagious. His smile lights up the room. His hugs can make you melt. And he has a fighting spirit that never gives up. Now that he’s getting older and bigger, it’s time to consider getting him a power wheelchair. This will provide him with so much freedom. Even with insurance, the wheelchair will be expensive. And along with the wheelchair, we will need upgrades to our van to be able to transport the wheelchair. I already struggle getting his current wheelchair in our van. We have tried fundraisers in the past but never made enough to fully cover costs. In the best-case scenario, I’m hoping to cover:
- Cost of wheelchair
- Portable ramp to get wheelchair into van
- Tie-down conversion for van to properly strap down wheelchair
If we make enough:
- Fully converted wheelchair van instead of ramp
- Make some home improvements to make our house more accessible
These past 2 months have been extra difficult for our family. Grayson is the youngest of 3. His oldest sister just completed her first year of college. While on our drive to pick her up from college, we got a call that my mom needed to go to the hospital after some bloodwork came back. After 2 weeks in the hospital, she was diagnosed with cancer. She was home for 1 week before having to be hospitalized again. The day after she was hospitalized, Grayson had a seizure in the middle of Target. And 2 days after that, my oldest daughter’s car broke down with a hole in her engine block. My oldest has given up so much of her summer so far in order to help with her siblings and grandma. She has gotten them off the bus and taken care of them while I was in the hospital with my mom. She has gone and sat with her grandma. She has been the absolute best. So in full transparency, if by some miracle we are able to exceed our goals, I would love to give her the extras to help with her car repairs and college expenses for next year. If you have made it this far, I would like to say thank you for taking the time to read about our journey. Any little bit will help. This will truly be life-changing for us and open so many doors for Grayson.
