<div>This fundraiser is in support of Melanie Kady. She is a single mother and arguably one of the toughest women I know.  Please read her story below:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>5 months ago, everything changed.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>A motorcycle accident shattered my body, breaking my spine, crushing my spinal cord and fracturing 18 bones across my back, neck, skull, scapula, and ribs. The impact bent solid steel and crushed my helmet. I should not have survived it, yet somehow, I am still here.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>After a 12-hour spinal surgery, my final diagnosis is a T1 complete spinal cord injury. Doctors have told me I will not walk again. While I am still holding onto hope and working every day to heal, my life has permanently changed.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I spent a week in the ICU and another 4 weeks in the trauma unit in Tennessee far from home, separated from my family, my friends, and the life I knew. The physical pain has been immense, but the emotional adjustment has been just as overwhelming, learning how to navigate a world that is no longer built for me.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>One of the biggest and most immediate challenges I now face is transportation. I have been thankful to have wonderful friends and family whom have put their lives on hold to help assist me…But it’s been 5 months since I was able to leave the house/hospital independently.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>To regain independence, pick my son up, attend medical appointments, rehabilitation, and eventually return to work and daily life, I need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle equipped with:
</div>
<div>•	A ramp system
</div>
<div>•	A turnable driver seat
</div>
<div>•	Hand controls
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Unfortunately, these vehicles are extremely expensive.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I am doing everything I can on my end:
</div>
<div>•	I currently have my Jeep up for sale
</div>
<div>•	I will be using funds from the sale of my motorcycle
</div>
<div>•	I am actively applying for different grants and assistance programs
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Any additional funds donated will go directly toward:
</div>
<div>•	Purchasing or modifying a wheelchair-accessible vehicle
</div>
<div>•	Adaptive driving equipment
</div>
<div>•	Regaining basic independence and mobility
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In these darkest days, the light has been my family, my friends, and even strangers who have shown incredible kindness. Every message, prayer, visit, and word of encouragement has carried me through moments I didn’t think I could survive.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I don’t know what the future holds. I will never ride again. I may never walk again. But I am still here, and I am determined to keep moving forward.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If you are able to donate, share, or simply keep me in your thoughts and prayers, I am deeply grateful. Thank you for being part of my journey into this new life.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>One day at a time.
</div>

Anonymous

Carol Lombardi

Tamar Goetke

Lori Sharkey

James Cain

Kristy Moore

William Cauthen

Edi Lesinger

Dean Bourn

Walter Hall

Maryjane Vigneault

Juliana Dilsworth

Anna McRee

Nikki V

A New Life: Help Fund My Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicle

A New Life: Help Fund My Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicle

Still $10,265 to go. Help us build momentum.