Handicap Van
Donation protected
Our son Aidan was born at 30-weeks and remained in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Boston, Massachusetts for seven weeks after his birth. A brain ultrasound at 30 days of life revealed a brain injury, doctors calling it periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). It is the area of the brain which controlled motor movement. This PVL has led to Aidan having tightness and stiffness in his legs (spastic diplegia) and low tone in his trunk muscles (axial hypotonia). Aidan has also been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, cortical visual impairment and anxiety, specifically OCD.
Aidan’s motor skills are vastly underdeveloped. Aidan wants to walk on his own and is a very hard worker. He works really hard despite the fatigue he suffers from. He has made significant physical and developmental progress. While he can walk with forearm crutches, his walking is labored. He is walkswith a severe crouch in his knees which causes fatigue and many falls. Aidan cannot stand still due to the pain in his feet. He so wants to physically keep up with his peers at school and works really hard towards his goal. He is a well natured boy with a great personality. He will overcome this setback.
Aidan is now 10 years old and has been participating in therapy almost daily for most of his life. Aidan has been a cub scout for the past 4 years. He like to participate in on-line gaming with friends. His life is very different from other 10 year olds. Our lives are worked around Aidan’s therapy schedule. It has always been our hope that all of this therapy will improve his quality of life in the future.
On June 1st, Aidan got a few large surgeries; distal femoral extension osteotomy, calcaneal lengthening osteotomy, tabnavicular fusion, and hamstring lengthening. These surgeries are huge and will disrupt our lives for at least year. Aidan will not be unable to stand up for 6-8 weeks. Aidan is a big boy and no longer can be carried so we don’t know how we would deal with this. This surgery cut and re-aligned bones, muscles, and tendons. After bedrest, Aidan will have to undergo extensive physical therapy for rest of his life. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to get Aidan to therapy in his current condition with our current car.
At this time, we are looking for help in obtaining a van with a wheelchair lift system. The cost is about $32,000 - $60,000 for a vehicle. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I appreciate your time in reading this letter and learning about Aidan and his family. Thank you very much.
Aidan’s motor skills are vastly underdeveloped. Aidan wants to walk on his own and is a very hard worker. He works really hard despite the fatigue he suffers from. He has made significant physical and developmental progress. While he can walk with forearm crutches, his walking is labored. He is walkswith a severe crouch in his knees which causes fatigue and many falls. Aidan cannot stand still due to the pain in his feet. He so wants to physically keep up with his peers at school and works really hard towards his goal. He is a well natured boy with a great personality. He will overcome this setback.
Aidan is now 10 years old and has been participating in therapy almost daily for most of his life. Aidan has been a cub scout for the past 4 years. He like to participate in on-line gaming with friends. His life is very different from other 10 year olds. Our lives are worked around Aidan’s therapy schedule. It has always been our hope that all of this therapy will improve his quality of life in the future.
On June 1st, Aidan got a few large surgeries; distal femoral extension osteotomy, calcaneal lengthening osteotomy, tabnavicular fusion, and hamstring lengthening. These surgeries are huge and will disrupt our lives for at least year. Aidan will not be unable to stand up for 6-8 weeks. Aidan is a big boy and no longer can be carried so we don’t know how we would deal with this. This surgery cut and re-aligned bones, muscles, and tendons. After bedrest, Aidan will have to undergo extensive physical therapy for rest of his life. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to get Aidan to therapy in his current condition with our current car.
At this time, we are looking for help in obtaining a van with a wheelchair lift system. The cost is about $32,000 - $60,000 for a vehicle. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I appreciate your time in reading this letter and learning about Aidan and his family. Thank you very much.
Organizer
Kathryn Benjamin
Organizer
Rehoboth, MA
