Amazing Grace Needs a Wheelchair Accessible Van

Hello, everyone! 

 First, thank you for taking the time to read this. We are setting up a GoFundMe to help us secure a wheelchair accessible van for Grace. Asking for help does not come easy for me, but I will do anything I can to help Grace and make her life as easy as possible.

For those who do not know, Grace was diagnosed with Cystic Encephalomalacia shortly after birth. This has lead to further diagnoses of Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, Cerebral Visual Impairment, and microcephaly. No one knows what caused the brain damage, but it was so severe that she was given weeks, maybe months, to live. Well, our little miracle is thriving and will soon turn 5. However, she cannot walk or talk and while she is a fighter, who despite all she has been through is always ready with a smile, she requires full time care and is regularly seen by multiple specialists and is monitored by palliative care. She has had many invasive procedures and has spent a large amount of time in the hospital.

To manage this, I took the first 4 years of her life off work, living on savings and credit to support us. Meanwhile, Grace has required very expensive equipment in order to try and maximize what little mobility she has. This means that I have very few funds to allocate to anything other than her needs and the necessities. As a single Mom, keeping up has been very hard. 

At the moment, Grace still uses a car seat and we are lifting her from wheelchair to car seat and back again. This has proved incredibly difficult for us, as she is not getting any lighter! I have been looking into wheelchair accessible vans for quite some time, but I cannot afford a new one and the older options do not qualify for financing. The ones I could get financing for are out of my price range. There is a very slight possibility that I could receive a grant, but they would take months to approve and I have to have purchased the vehicle first. 

 I am now faced with the reality that very soon we will not be able to safely lift Grace in and out of her car seat, and I am in desperate need of help.

She needs this van as soon as possible, so every little bit will help. We understand many people are struggling, so if you can't donate, would you please consider sharing (with friends, family, businesses, even church groups if you think it would be appropriate)? Even the smallest donation will go a long way in securing the van our family needs to be able to transport Amazing Grace around. 

Thank you. ❤️