A new van for Dana

To honor our beautiful friend and soul sister, we are asking for everyone’s help. Dana needs a new-to her-accessible van.  

Dana is a hero and inspiration to us all.  She is loved beyond measure and she graciously loves with her whole being.  Truly selfless, outrageously generous, empathetic, and fiercely loyal, Dana shows up-ALWAYS.  Dana holds everyone else up with her huge heart and a strength that is beyond compare.  Dana is the glue that keeps us all together and keeps our yearly reunions going strong. She goes out of her way to connect with everyone she meets and to deepen the relationships she has.  Dana is always willing to help when she can, with no questions asked.
 
After being paralyzed in a nearly fatal auto accident 30 years ago today, Dana lives each day feeling that she has gained more than she lost. Very early on, she decided to concentrate on all of the things she could still do rather than dwell on the things she could not.  Dana credits her paralysis for the person she is today, is eternally grateful, and concentrates on the positive aspects of being paralyzed with a list she calls Paraplegic Perks. It is just this kind of humorous and positive outlook that makes Dana so special.

It is impossible to capture in words how unbelievably strong Dana is and how much we all learn from her.  In a very short summary-that really does not do her story justice: Against all odds, after being given 12 hours to live, Dana survived and went through months of  rehabilitation and still graduated from high school on time and continued on to college in Albany in the fall of 1990 (less than a year post accident).  After recognizing that accessibility was her biggest struggle, she brokenheartedly left NY in 1991 to pursue life in Florida.  She completed her degree (and lots of fun and travel along the way) and has been a full-time member of the Psychiatry Department at UF for 20 years.  

Over the last 20 years or so, Dana started celebrating her survival. What started as marking each anniversary of her accident with dinner and drinks with her amazing husband Matt and a few friends, soon evolved into Parapalooza.  She had a big party to mark her 20th year and in the last ten years, these celebrations have taken on more meaning as Dana continues to reflect on how lucky she is to be alive and to be relatively healthy.  As Dana’s tribe, we, too, recognize more and more each day how undeniably blessed we are to know Dana, to be part of her story, and to share in celebrating beauty, love, and a resilience that is rare and true. We were honored to come down to Florida this past August to early celebrate the 30th Parapalooza.

Dana isn’t scared by much but she is fiercely independent and the thought of not being able to drive by herself  is terrifying. Without a new van Dana would have to depend on Matt to drive her everywhere in his small Honda which is extremely difficult for her to get in and out of.
 
Dana would be the first to offer help, yet she would never ask for help with a new vehicle.  Because she rarely complains about anything, we only know the condition of her van from our recent visit to Florida to celebrate with her. Her van is a 2007 with nearly 150,000 miles on it. Her lift equipment is 16 years old and shorts out regularly-yes when Dana is trying to get in and out of the van. The truth is the van could breakdown and become unusable at any moment.
 
We will do whatever we can to help and see her to a new ride for her safety, independence and peace of mind.  There is no one who deserves this more!  Thank you for reading and for considering this special gift.  Every little bit can help and we thank you in advance for any help you can offer!