Wheelchair Van for My Brother Brian

Before I begin, I want to thank you very, very much for reading this story.

11 years ago, my family's life changed dramatically overnight. For the worse. And this year, it can change dramatically again. For the better.

In March 2005, my brother, Brian, suffered a traumatic injury and broke the C-4 vertebrae in his neck, leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down. At the time, he was a student at Temple University (go Owls), and I was a student at Saint Joseph's University (go Hawks). No Philly rivalry could have kept us apart in the months of emotionally challenging hospital visits and in- and out-patient physical rehab sessions that followed. Brian showed indomitable grit through it all and was eventually able to recover some movement back in his right arm. It didn't seem like much at the time, especially because he was left-handed. But, today, it could be everything.

After more time of recovery at home, Brian bravely returned to Temple to finish his undergraduate degree AND law degree, living on his own in a residence hall. I should note that this also took a superhuman amount of courage for my parents, who demonstrated what I can only describe as the realest love while navigating the personal challenges that come along with a situation like this. During his time at Temple, Brian never let his ability level determine what he could or couldn't do. Our family was grateful for government disability programs that paid for nurse attendants who would come to Brian's room every day to help him get in and out of bed and with his daily routines. Outside of that necessity, Brian was ready to live life on his own.

The legal job market in 2011 was, and still is, quite stiff, and after graduation in that year, Brian fell into writing as a career. See that full story here. The short version of it is that the government disability programs were not very progressive at the time, and there was a very low, hard limit on what he could earn without losing his benefits. If he would have made over that figure, even by 1 cent, he would have had to pay for all of his nursing attendant home care out of pocket. For a family already strained financially by the existing situation, that would have been devastating. So, Brian lived as well as he could within those means for as long as he could.

The company for which he was writing at the time, UPROXX, gave him the opportunity to continue writing from home at whatever capacity he was able. Only within the past year was Brian able to get enrolled in the recently activated Act 150 program in Pennsylvania, which allows him to earn a real living while still keeping his nursing attendant care. After this, UPROXX brought him on full-time, with a better wage to match (see that full story via this feature by Philly Magazine). Finally, Brian is in a better position to live with independence, and he's already another step closer.

For 2 1/2 weeks in August & September 2016, Brian got the training to drive an adapted van at Brant's Driving School in Johnstown, PA using that right arm. He's now ready for the road! Being able to drive on his own will significantly increase his quality of life and the quality of life for my family. It will also mean I'll be able to see him more often, as we live about 1 hour away from each other. It's not easy for me to explain how great this would be, in part because I have trained myself to temper my expectations for things like this and in part because it's just that awesome.

So, here's where we are right now, and why I am humbly asking for your support.

Brian needs to purchase a van to begin this next phase of life. He will receive some funding that will support building the adaptations of the van, but he must buy the vehicle and fund some of those adapations on his own. Because his income was limited by the government programs for so long, the funds for this are not there, and would not be for a while. It's important that he buy a newer model, quality van, because the supportive funds he would receive to build the adaptations on a vehicle are only granted every 10 years. Having a new model will give him the chance to make this last. In the research we've done so far, the Dodge and Chrysler vans recommended by his driving instructor range in price from $25,000 - $35,000. I have marked the campaign goal above that figure in order to help cover the cost of adapting the van.

It is very difficult to ask for this support. I have written and re-written this text several times because I have been concerned about accurately representing this story and about how it would be perceived to ask for help. I am doing so because this is something I can do for him, and in all of my thinking over this, I can't find another way.

I want to stress that any amount of financial support Brian would receive from this GoFundMe campain would be remarkable, and all of it will go directly to him in support of purchasing this van.

I have been very blessed by the love and support of many people throughout these years (my whole family has, too), and I thank you, again, for taking the time to read this message.