Wheels for Darryl
Donation protected
In 2007, my sister Robin was a college student with a full-time job, while also a single mom to then-6-year-old Lexi, when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. With weekly injections, she was able to bring her MS symptoms under control.
Two years later, Robin met Darryl, a firefighter and paramedic, who was a single dad to then-13-year-old Alaiyah. Within months they were married and began their life together as a family. With his medical training, Darryl was able to assist Robin with her continuing treatment for MS. All seemed wonderful.
Tragically, just 9 months after marrying, Darryl was riding his motorcycle on a beautiful Easter Sunday through the streets of Philadelphia when he was cut off by a car that turned right in front of him. He sustained multiple abrasions and fractures in the collision, but it was the fractured vertebrae that would change their lives forever. Darryl was left paralyzed from the chest down, with limited movement of his arms and hands. Unfortunately, the other driver in the accident had recently declared bankruptcy and had minimal insurance.
Today, almost three years after the accident, Darryl remains confined to the hospital bed placed in the living room of the row house they rent. His "family" of firefighters have installed a lift to bring his wheelchair down to ground level at the rear of their house, but once there, he has no way of getting out-and-about, as they do not have and cannot afford a vehicle that can accommodate a wheelchair.
My goal is to try to raise enough funds to at least put a downpayment on a wheelchair-accessible van so that my sister and her family can enjoy the daily activities all of us are able to enjoy - a night out to dinner, a stroll through the mall, a ride to the beach.....
Please help me to make this dream a reality for a family that quite obviously loves one another so very much. Robin's days are filled with caring for her husband and their girls, while trying to cope with her own medical issues, so she is unable to obtain full-time employment. She has never once complained.
Two years later, Robin met Darryl, a firefighter and paramedic, who was a single dad to then-13-year-old Alaiyah. Within months they were married and began their life together as a family. With his medical training, Darryl was able to assist Robin with her continuing treatment for MS. All seemed wonderful.
Tragically, just 9 months after marrying, Darryl was riding his motorcycle on a beautiful Easter Sunday through the streets of Philadelphia when he was cut off by a car that turned right in front of him. He sustained multiple abrasions and fractures in the collision, but it was the fractured vertebrae that would change their lives forever. Darryl was left paralyzed from the chest down, with limited movement of his arms and hands. Unfortunately, the other driver in the accident had recently declared bankruptcy and had minimal insurance.
Today, almost three years after the accident, Darryl remains confined to the hospital bed placed in the living room of the row house they rent. His "family" of firefighters have installed a lift to bring his wheelchair down to ground level at the rear of their house, but once there, he has no way of getting out-and-about, as they do not have and cannot afford a vehicle that can accommodate a wheelchair.
My goal is to try to raise enough funds to at least put a downpayment on a wheelchair-accessible van so that my sister and her family can enjoy the daily activities all of us are able to enjoy - a night out to dinner, a stroll through the mall, a ride to the beach.....
Please help me to make this dream a reality for a family that quite obviously loves one another so very much. Robin's days are filled with caring for her husband and their girls, while trying to cope with her own medical issues, so she is unable to obtain full-time employment. She has never once complained.
Organizer
Lori Fielder Maliff
Organizer
Belmar, NJ
