Hello my name is Destiny Barajas, I am a 23 year old Latina woman. I would like to preface this by apologizing for the length of this letter, but I am finding myself in a desperate situation. It would mean the world to me if you would take the time to read through it. I am going to start by giving you a backstory to my situation. When I turned one my mom noticed I had trouble walking, but as any baby who was about to take their first steps, this was not an abnormality for the doctors I was taken to see, they advised my mom that it was probably because I had a few extra pounds on me and I would benefit from losing some weight. My mother’s intuition told her otherwise so she continued to search for answers as to why I was struggling so much to even stand on my own. After running multiple tests on me the doctors discovered I had a disability called Charcot Marie Tooth, this is a degenerative nerve disease that causes damage to individuals in their arms and legs. Being that we were living in Mexico at the time and resources are limited there for people with disabilities, my mom made the difficult decision to pack up our lives and move in with my aunt and uncle here in the United States. She was leaving her mother and father behind, along with her two brothers and sister; not to mention she would also be giving up her career as a teacher. I can still remember the night we got to my aunt and uncle’s house, I was 4 years old and didn’t speak any English. Even as a 4 year old I knew I had to learn the language to be able to communicate with others including my two cousins. My mom and aunt began researching for aid that was being provided for people with disabilities. I began to see doctors in Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and they began doing more tests so I could begin to receive the treatment I needed. I was put in touch with physical therapists who created a treatment plan to help improve my mobility. As a result of this I use a power wheelchair to help me get around, including multiple other devices to help facilitate my everyday life. I started using my power wheelchair more often when I was 7 years old. Before this I would use a manual wheelchair full time meaning I needed the assistance of another person to get me from point A to point B. For years my mom struggled to get a wheelchair accessible van due to the extremely high price, a conversion alone for those types of cars was $20,000 at the time. She had no other choice but to lift me into the car we had and lift my manual wheelchair inside as well, as you may imagine this caused a lot of damage to her back and now deals with constant back and shoulder pain due to arthritis. We were fortunate enough to later in 2013 be able to purchase our first used accessible van. Since then we’ve needed to invest in 2 more vehicles, due to them being used they came with lots of problems. Our 2006 Toyota Sienna being one of them. We first started having issues with this car in early 2022; everything from issues with the motor to issues with the power ramp. Unfortunately the price to get any car fixed is extremely expensive. The mechanic who specializes in accessible vans charges $162 an hour apart from any other pieces needed to fix the issue. In May of 2023 the ramp stopped working and we were told by the first mechanic that it was not fixable. Fortunately, we found our current mechanic who found a solution to the initial problem. However, since then the car has started presenting multiple other issues. At this time it seems like continuing to fix every issue that appears is only becoming more costly. That is money that we simply do not have being that our only income is coming from my SSI. I am a student at the Extended Studies Program at the University of San Diego getting my certification to be a medical interpreter. I am hoping to finish my studies this year and begin working. Having a trustworthy car to get me to and from work would be extremely helpful. Not only would it help me with transportation to work, but as something any 23 year would want, it would also help me get to experience the world. I love going out, discovering new places enjoying the time I have with the mobility I still have. Being able to purchase a new wheelchair accessible van would be a dream come true. I hope that you can help me by donating to and sharing my GoFundMe.