Hello! My name is Donna Rae, and I'm fundraising for a motorized wheelchair and also for the cost of a personal care aide for my dearest childhood friend Patty Bartlett.

In the early 70's Patty and I were best friends while living on Eglin AFB in Florida. We were at the 'tween stage where earning scout badges, reading teen magazines and listening to music filled our free time. Our best times were dancing outside on our carports to The Locomotion, Sugar-Sugar, ABC.

Being a military brat, we knew that moving away was inevitable. I was the first to leave, followed by Patty's family a year later. We stayed in touch for a couple of years, and then our adult lives took over, and we lost touch.

Fast forward forty-some years, I found her little brother on Facebook! She and her two brothers were living in Hawaii! He gave her my phone number, and we talked and laughed for a couple of hours about those fun times we had as kids - dancing, scouts, her brother's motocross races...such good memories. I told her that we would have to dance The Locomotion when we could manage a visit. I noticed my enthusiasm for dancing together seemed stronger than hers but didn't think much of it.

A few years after Patty moved back to the mainland to be with her father, she told me about her health. She has had diabetes for 30 years and lost her lower legs from infections caused by a broken foot and, a year later, a scraped toe.

Recently, Patty moved into a beautiful apartment. One night there was a fire, and she felt trapped - Patty couldn't manage her wheelchair on her own and had to wait for her neighbor to come and help her. When she told me of this, I knew I needed to help her get a power chair.

Medicare will not pay for the total cost of the Hoveround Teknique XHD power wheelchair that Patty desperately needs, and her fixed income does not leave much for extra expenses. Patty also has to pay $200 a month for help with personal care. She really cannot afford this but needs the help.

All funds will be deposited into Patty's bank account.