Wheels for Samantha

Samantha Hanway is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hello, my name is Samantha Hanway and I need your help to buy a wheelchair van.

In May of this year, I was a passenger in a horrible accident that dislocated my spine in my neck. (C6/C7) I am now a quadriplegic and stuck in a power wheelchair. I have some use of my arms, but little use of my hands and have no feeling from the mid-chest down. But, at least I can operate the controls on my chair!

I need a modified van with a ramp that I can roll in to. I learned that these suckers cost $50,000 to $80,000! The modifications alone cost about half of that. This is just to get me into a vehicle so my family and friends can drive me around.

Well, I'm pretty sure my credit score is screwed now. I had to turn my brand new car back in (bought it two months before the accident), and with mounting medical bills, I doubt I can even get financing. Even if I can, there is no way I can afford payments on an amount like this.

It's been 4 months since the accident and I haven't made it home from the hospital yet, but when I do, I won't have any way to get anywhere without an accessible van - like the many doctors I need to follow up with, going to the store, and doing things with my 13 yr old son.   I'm a single mom and have no other financial support, so I am turning to GoFundMe for help.

When I get strong enough, I hope to get involved in quadriplegic sports and get as active as I can in my new life in a wheelchair. I also plan to become active in the Christopher Reeves Foundation as a mentor for other spinal cord injury patients, because their mentors really helped me when I needed it the most, and I want to pay it forward.

Please help me accomplish these goals in my new adaptive life on wheels.

If you are reading this, just know that I love you and I appreciate anything you can do to help.

XOXO,

Samantha Hanway

#WheelsforSamantha

I was in a "halo" screwed to my head with 60 lbs of weight pulling to decompress my spine. This was done to line things up so the neurosurgeon could successfully operate on me.

This one is hard for me to look at. My son not knowing if I was going to survive this. At the time, the trauma team didn't give my family much hope. After surgery, I had respiratory failure and had to be put on a ventilator.

My lungs kept filling up with fluid, and I had to get a tracheostomy for easier access for suctioning. The doctors told my family that I would never get off the ventilator and I would never lose the trach because my lung function was affected by the spinal cord injury. But, I proved them wrong! I was SO happy to get off the vent and get that trach out!

This is my son and I four months later. I've made a lot of progress, but still have a LONG way to go.

Before the accident, I was a pretty tough chick. I found my niche in the construction industry and had a job I absolutely loved. I worked with hand tools and power tools installing controls for HVAC systems in commercial new construction - like the new Toyota Headquarters and the new Dallas Cowboys Training Facility. I used to be able to carry around 12 ft ladders and now I can't blow dry my own hair.

But I'm working hard to get my strength back. It's unreal how a spinal cord injury can zap your entire body. The nerves don't make the connection to tell the muscles what to do anymore. I've been told it can take years for the nerves to regenerate, and there is no guarantee that they will. More than likely, I will always be in a wheelchair, but if I can just get some upper body strength back, if will make my new life on wheels more manageable.