60Ft.WheelchairRamp&Moving Expenses
I am sorry to report that.....We Need Help!
The best news I have to share is that our son-in-law Irwin's recovery from a sudden spinal cord infection induced paralysis is still showing enough progress to maintain everyone's hope for a full recovery.
We have been reluctant to quit the idea that Irwin's life would return to normal soon and he could resume his professional career and keep their beautiful homestead in North Carolina, but sadly, that is not the case.
The worst news I can report is that his disability insurance, as a plant manager at Butterball, will run out at the end of the month and he is no where close to walking away from his wheelchair let alone returning to the work force.
The lemonade we are trying to make from this sour situation is one that brings Jess, Irwin, Aaron, his custom electric wheelchair, hospital bed and all their belongings.. as well as a dog and herd of howling cats to live at ToadTown by Thanksgiving.
The biggest obstacle this presents is we have no wheelchair access at present and the design for building one requires over 60 feet of ramp and switchbacks to snake from the utility door down to the parking grade.
We designed our home as a 3 bedroom - 3 1/2 bath with 3000 sq ft on one floor but we elevated that floor more than 6' above grade in order to reside safely above the 100 year flood plane while overlooking Bullfrog Creek.
Nancy & I have overcome many obstacles during our lifetime together and haven't found much that we can't accomplish when we put our collective minds and backs into it. Nothing however, prepared us for this medical and financial upheaval in our lives and it has exposed one of my worst character defects....
I'M NOT VERY GOOD AS ASKING FRIENDS FOR HELP!!!!
As many of you have followed Jess's adventures with hurricanes and her struggles to care for both Aaron and her paralyzed husband we have received many offers of financial help but have respectfully declined. (Though at least one old pirate sent some treasure anyway.:) UNTIL NOW
The last four months we have taken off so much work and travel time that we are tapped out and too strapped to carry the financial burden of either their moving costs or the "Mega" ramp we have yet to purchase or build.
We are asking for help with the cost of 3 moving containers and shipping: $2,700.
(Jess can't pack and care for Irwin and Aaron so we head up Nov. 17 to load them up for the move to Florida).
We are asking for help with the cost of materials to construct a 60 foot + wheelchair ramp: $3,200.
Architects and Engineers at CJS Architects donated their time to draw up plans for a custom ramp. The materials for this project come in at about $50 per linear foot. (Wheelchair ramps usually cost between $100-$250 per foot.)
If contributions allow us to reach these two goals we would use any residual funds remaining to construct as much roofing over the wheelchair ramp as possible to protect the electric wheelchair.
There is no timetable for how long it will be before Irwin will recover enough to walk or return to the work force, though we are confidant that he will some day!
We wouldn't be sending out this distress call if we had better options and we know that most of you already have your hands full keeping your own heads above water. Please don't contribute if you can't afford to, we're just hoping to find enough who can and will to get this project off the ground and on the way to Florida with better times ahead for our daughter and her family. If you are uncomfortable with using "Go fund me" our address is 12730 Bullfrog Creek Road, Gibsonton, FL 33534 and you can reach us with questions as follows:
Home Phone: [phone redacted]
Cell Phones:
Nancy Marshall: [phone redacted] / Lynn Marshall: [phone redacted] or Jessica Marshall Shaver: [phone redacted]
As we purchase materials and move forward over the next two weeks.... Lynn will post his work days and progress updates for anyone interested in helping.
Thank you all! Love, Lynn & Nancy Marshall / Jess & Irwin & Aaron Shaver
