Curt Bailey Handicap Van
Donation protected
Curt Bailey is a great friend to many and gives service to all. He is a wonderful husband and father and works hard to provide for his family. Curt is not one to ask for assistance or even let people know of his challenges so I would like to tell his story and let those that know and love Curt extend a helping hand in a way that is easy and supportive.
Curt, as a young man was always active in sports. He especially loved baseball and still does today. At age 18, Curt went skiing and had a terrible accident that severed his spinal cord and left him permenantly paralyzed from the chest down and unable to use his legs for the rest of his mortal life.
Curt, never one to complain, did not curse life or God for this unfortunate turn of events but vowed instead to meet the challenge. Those that know Curt have seen him doing most any activity done by walking fathers and active men. When there is a father and son camp out Curt will drive to the campground with his son, get into the wheelchair and move over rocks and down dirt trails to be involved in all the activities. Curt is active in his church and volunteers in many positions. Curt loves God and lives his religion. Curt has a great company and works as a video editor and is a good provider for his family. Curt meets his financial obligations and is smart with his money but like most of us finds times when family obligations take more resources. Curt has a son getting married this week and we all know what impact weddings have on our bank accounts.
Curt has a small Saturn 2-door car to get him around to work, church activities, and to do other acts of service. It is amazing to see how he can raise himself out of the wheelchair and hoist himself into the drivers seat using just his arms. Then he takes the wheels off the chair and slides the chair and all its parts into the back seat of the car. He then drives using a hand-held control to regulate the gas and brake pedals. Upon arriving at his destination, he reaches behind the seat, pulls out the wheelchair and parts, re-assembles them and again raises himself from the drivers seat back into the wheelchair using just his arm strength.
Last February, while working in his garage, Curt took a nasty spill. His wheelchair tipped over backwards and he landed on his shoulder. He tore some ligaments in the arm and shoulder. With this arm injury, Curt has not been able to hoist himself from the car driver's seat back into his wheelchair as he did before. When, out of necessity, he forces his way into and out of the car to get somewhere, the result is additional injury to the arm and shoulder causing much pain and a longer recovery time. This has resulted in Curt using the disabled taxi service for most of his movements outside the house. This service requires a 24 hour advanced notice and specific pick up and drop off times, not to mention the expense of taxi use.
In order to allow Curt a return to his mobile freedom, he needs a wheel chair accessible van that has a power ramp to get his wheelchair into the van and then a locking system behind the steering wheel so he can drive without needing to leave his wheelchair. Seems simple enough but the expense of such a vehicle is proving prohibitive.
Like many of us, Curt has been saving for a van and is in the position to pay/finance a car valued at $20,000. That amount of money would get any of us a reasonably new car that would perform well mechanically. However, wheelchair accessible vans add a significant amount to the cost of the vehicle. Curt has been pricing them and for example, a 2013 Toyota Sienna van with 75,000 miles, that has a power ramp and wheelchair locking system, costs around $35,000. A new Toyota Sienna van with the needed equipment is over $60,000.
Curt is resolved to continue to save until he can afford the needed van but I estimate it will be another 3 years before he will have enough savings to get a used van with the needed equipment and be restored to mobility. I believe that is too long to suffer being couped up in the house and relegated to taxi services to get out.
I believe if everyone who knows Curt and has been the recipient of love and service from this great man and his good wife Michelle, were to give up the cost of 1 vanilla bean frapaccino at Starbucks, or the cost of 1 date night dinner with your spouse and just stay home for your movie and order a pizza, we could gather the extra amount over and above the $20,000 Curt is prepared to spend and restore this great man to mobility and put him back on the road again. We are not talking about a new $60,000 van...we just need to gather enough to get him into the used van and allow him the freedom to take his wondeful wife with him and get out of the house. Something most of us take for granted every day.
I hope you will join me in donating $5, $10, $25, $50 or $100 or whatever you can to help our friend get a vehicle that will not require him to injure himself every time he wants to get in and out of the car. Thanks for helping. Please forward this request to anyone you think knows Curt Bailey or would be interested in helping his situation. If every friend of Curt Bailey gives a little, we can do a lot.
Sincerely,
Dale Johnson
Friends of Curt Bailey
Curt, as a young man was always active in sports. He especially loved baseball and still does today. At age 18, Curt went skiing and had a terrible accident that severed his spinal cord and left him permenantly paralyzed from the chest down and unable to use his legs for the rest of his mortal life.
Curt, never one to complain, did not curse life or God for this unfortunate turn of events but vowed instead to meet the challenge. Those that know Curt have seen him doing most any activity done by walking fathers and active men. When there is a father and son camp out Curt will drive to the campground with his son, get into the wheelchair and move over rocks and down dirt trails to be involved in all the activities. Curt is active in his church and volunteers in many positions. Curt loves God and lives his religion. Curt has a great company and works as a video editor and is a good provider for his family. Curt meets his financial obligations and is smart with his money but like most of us finds times when family obligations take more resources. Curt has a son getting married this week and we all know what impact weddings have on our bank accounts.
Curt has a small Saturn 2-door car to get him around to work, church activities, and to do other acts of service. It is amazing to see how he can raise himself out of the wheelchair and hoist himself into the drivers seat using just his arms. Then he takes the wheels off the chair and slides the chair and all its parts into the back seat of the car. He then drives using a hand-held control to regulate the gas and brake pedals. Upon arriving at his destination, he reaches behind the seat, pulls out the wheelchair and parts, re-assembles them and again raises himself from the drivers seat back into the wheelchair using just his arm strength.
Last February, while working in his garage, Curt took a nasty spill. His wheelchair tipped over backwards and he landed on his shoulder. He tore some ligaments in the arm and shoulder. With this arm injury, Curt has not been able to hoist himself from the car driver's seat back into his wheelchair as he did before. When, out of necessity, he forces his way into and out of the car to get somewhere, the result is additional injury to the arm and shoulder causing much pain and a longer recovery time. This has resulted in Curt using the disabled taxi service for most of his movements outside the house. This service requires a 24 hour advanced notice and specific pick up and drop off times, not to mention the expense of taxi use.
In order to allow Curt a return to his mobile freedom, he needs a wheel chair accessible van that has a power ramp to get his wheelchair into the van and then a locking system behind the steering wheel so he can drive without needing to leave his wheelchair. Seems simple enough but the expense of such a vehicle is proving prohibitive.
Like many of us, Curt has been saving for a van and is in the position to pay/finance a car valued at $20,000. That amount of money would get any of us a reasonably new car that would perform well mechanically. However, wheelchair accessible vans add a significant amount to the cost of the vehicle. Curt has been pricing them and for example, a 2013 Toyota Sienna van with 75,000 miles, that has a power ramp and wheelchair locking system, costs around $35,000. A new Toyota Sienna van with the needed equipment is over $60,000.
Curt is resolved to continue to save until he can afford the needed van but I estimate it will be another 3 years before he will have enough savings to get a used van with the needed equipment and be restored to mobility. I believe that is too long to suffer being couped up in the house and relegated to taxi services to get out.
I believe if everyone who knows Curt and has been the recipient of love and service from this great man and his good wife Michelle, were to give up the cost of 1 vanilla bean frapaccino at Starbucks, or the cost of 1 date night dinner with your spouse and just stay home for your movie and order a pizza, we could gather the extra amount over and above the $20,000 Curt is prepared to spend and restore this great man to mobility and put him back on the road again. We are not talking about a new $60,000 van...we just need to gather enough to get him into the used van and allow him the freedom to take his wondeful wife with him and get out of the house. Something most of us take for granted every day.
I hope you will join me in donating $5, $10, $25, $50 or $100 or whatever you can to help our friend get a vehicle that will not require him to injure himself every time he wants to get in and out of the car. Thanks for helping. Please forward this request to anyone you think knows Curt Bailey or would be interested in helping his situation. If every friend of Curt Bailey gives a little, we can do a lot.
Sincerely,
Dale Johnson
Friends of Curt Bailey
Organizer and beneficiary
Dale Johnson
Organizer
Mesa, AZ
Curt Bailey
Beneficiary