I am writing this story to tell everyone about my sister’s quest for independence and how with a little assistance, that dream can become a reality. My sister Laura Cox was born with a physical disability missing two limbs on her right side. She has a functional left arm and a short left leg to fit her body stature. After she was born my parents were terrified at the life that she would live due to several doctors’ opinions at Shriners Children hospital. They informed my parents that she would never be able to do anything for herself and that we would have to pretty much do everything for her including carrying her around the house.  Very disheartened they returned back to Shriners where they met a young girl with missing arms running and playing like any other little kid would. It was then that they decided to force Laura to learn and adapt to every situation herself. Not only did she adapt but she thrives at every situation she is thrown into. Growing up she has always been independent going up and down the stairs of our two story house. There has been very little that has gotten in her way and has lived a normal childhood. She has always been such an inspiration to friends and neighbors in our community. My sister is now 29 years old and this valued lesson that my parents have stowed in her has allowed her to become the independent women she is today. I can’t even begin to tell everyone how proud I am for the amount that she has accomplished despite all her struggles.

 

By the time she began school she was in need of an electric wheelchair which was a beautiful hot pink wheelchair to fit her bright and smiling personality. As she grew, her wheelchairs endured more wear and tear as she began working, attending college, and other functions with friends. Laura was using an electric wheelchair as a pair of legs. These electric wheelchairs were not built for a young woman traveling far distances and repurchasing them became more frequent. It was very fortunate that my father was a mechanic and had taught me how to maintain them but the distances she was travelling was causing these wheelchairs to deteriorate much faster than expected with little to no assistance on the price of these costly chairs. After high school she entered the student loan ordeal to go to fashion school. She took a bus to the train station, and then to the subway to get to school in Los Angeles everyday while obtaining a department store job at Mervyn’s .  I was always amazed how devoted she was when she would get up at 4 am to catch the bus in rain or shine after coming home from school in the dark and staying awake to study. Of course all of her hard work payed off when she graduated with her AA and then later her bachelor’s degree in business management. After graduation she obtained another job close by at Macy’s while she sought out to find a job in the fashion industry but again the transit from Simi to Los Angeles took its toll on her wheelchair. My father and I spent countless nights replacing batteries to keep her mobile. Laura was still determined to seek greater employment opportunities in the field of fashion despite the obstacles of being turned down by various companies due to the fact that she did not have reliable transportation. In order to obtain her goals she thought that maybe someday she could in fact drive and would not have to put so much mileage on her wheelchair. This far off dream has now come to fruition.

We discovered a program that evaluates the potential for safe driving and teaches individuals with disabilities how to drive with special modifications in order to suit their needs. Laura became a client of the Department of Rehab four years ago and has been travelling back and forth to south Los Angeles to get the proper drivers training with a lot of grief from the DMV in order to obtain her permit. She is now at the stage where driving is so close in reach where the state has agreed to assist in paying for the modifications for a van. The grand total of everything is well over 50,000 which my family and I would love to just pay for but we are unable to produce such an amount. Therefore my hope is to raise money to pay for the actual van minus the modifications cost. I feel that with myself included, we all take for granted jumping into our car and running up to the store, but for my sister this is an opportunity that we never envisioned possible that can and will change her life.  Our friends and family would all love to only see Laura achieve her lifetime goals, but to also not worry about her when her wheelchair dies in the middle of the street or her being stranded in not so safe areas. I have never done anything like this before and do not want anyone to feel obligated to help, this purely is just a way of letting everyone know and giving people of our community the opportunity to help in any way they wish.

We are asking for $20,000 due to the fact that the cost of the van is approximately $30,000. Laura has been saving money for a down payment, but the estimated monthly payments are still too high along with the responsibility with paying student loans.

Any donation is greatly appreciated, thank you for your time!

We are asking for  a goal that will cover the cost of the vehicle itself as the department of rehabilitation has agreed to cover the cost of the modifications. Due to the value of the modifications this vehicle is required to be a brand new vehicle as it has to last the life of the modifications.