- J
UPDATE: My parents found a van for sale in Arizona and bought it. They used the funds raised so far as a down payment on it. Then, recently a guardian angel came forward and paid for the complete retrofit. Now all that's left to pay for is the van itself. The van is getting retrofit right now and it will take about 3-4 weeks. Any other donations we receive from here on out will go towards the van to make the monthly payments smaller. Thank you!
**This account is run by Ammon's sister Gillian and is an effort to help raise money for a wheelchair accessible van for him and my parents. Below is his story, along with donation details at the end. Thank you so much for looking!**
Ammon was born October 5, 1995. He was born with spina bifida. Spina bifida is a birth defect in which a developing baby's spinal cord fails to develop properly.
The first 5 months of his life were spent fighting to live.
He is bound to a wheelchair, cannot use the restroom on his own, and up until two years ago, had a G-tube to eat. He also suffers from hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain.)
He has had 38 major surgeries - some of which were putting rods up his back, removing 10 disks from his back, and a tracheostomy to name a few.
He is youngest of 11 children. He's absolutely adored by all of his siblings and every single person who meets him! Ammon loves BYU Football, singing, movies (Disney especially), playing on his iPad, and reading. He also loves music and counts David Archuleta as his favorite! He will talk to and make friends with anyone he meets.
Through all of these physical hardships, he has been determined to live and fight. Ammon has this ability to see the positive through anything hard. He will always say : "Well, look at the bright side...".
He was recently featured in a dance/musical fireside with Lifehouse Performing Arts Academy. They questioned him beforehand for a video they were making of him. We wanted to share some of the questions they asked below, along with the answers he gave them:
Q: Do you feel broken in any way?
A: No, not at all.
Q: Why do you think God gave you this body? Others can walk and have normal bodies. Have you thought why you have this one?
A: Well, Christ came to the earth to pay for all our sins as long as we repent. None of us are perfect so I guess this is my thing. That’s why I have this body.
Q: Do you ever feel invisible?
A: No – only at stag dances. I don’t like to go to those because it’s dark in the room and it’s loud. My voice is so quiet that no one can hear me and they can’t see me, either. So I won’t go to stag dances any more.
Q: Do you think you have a purpose on this earth and what it would be?
A: We’re going to sing “Have I Done Any Good in the World Today” in choir on Sunday so I’ll say, “Have I done any good in the world today? Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad? If not, I have failed indeed.” I guess that’s my purpose.
After that questionnaire was finished, my mom wrote down these thoughts:
"There were many other probing questions and the answers Ammon gave were all very simple and straightforward. I thought, “Why do we make life so complex? Why can’t we have simple, powerful answers like this?
"When they didn’t get the “poor is me,” “feel sorry for me” answers, then they turned to me to get reality. The reality is that Ammon is the way he says he is. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself. He has been blessed with a purity and humility that compensates for his physical difficulties. We try to help him stay that way with positive things to say and do. The reality is that he is left out often by peers – not purposely but due to inconvenience. The reality is it is hard to take care of his physical needs. He is always (!) grateful for everything we do for him. He tells us a hundred times a day that he loves us and expects us to say it back. What kind of teenager is like that?!"
Ammon will turn 20 years old in October and graduated high school this past May. We are grateful he's lived this long, and feel immensly blessed to have him in our lives day after day.
Ammon loved his high school experience at Salem Hills High School where he felt included and loved and part of the school. He went to school dances and was voted Prom King his senior year!
He was also picked for a special scholarship that was given by the principal of the school. The school gives four special awards that are not connected with scholarship or money. They are awards of honor. The four awards are "Spirit, Honor, Heart and Success." Ammon got the award for "Heart."
Now that Ammon is graduated, he would like to fill his time doing a service mission for his church. In order to go out and serve others, he will need a reliable form of transportation.
Ammon lives at home with his parents, James (Jim) and Christina Clark. They have literally put their blood, sweat, and tears into taking care of all 11 of their children, especially Ammon who needs constant physical care. He has to be lifted in and out of his wheel chair into his bed, to the potty, shower, etc. Both Jim and Chris are both in their late 60's and lifting Ammon time and time again is taking a substantial toll on their bodies.
They've never had a wheelchair accessible van. They have a van that they took the chairs out of and bought a metal ramp (one they have to lift in and out of the van) to allow Ammon to enter and exit the van while seated in his power chair. However, the ramp is extremely heavy, awkward to carry, and takes up alot of space in the back of the van.
However, their van has 215,000 miles on it and is in need of major repair. This van is their ONLY way of transportation with Ammon. They have spent thousands of dollars to fix this van in the past two or three years to keep it running, but with the amount of miles on it and the cost of a new head gasket, it's time for them to get an upgrade.
Jim is unable to consistently physically work and had to recently undergo back and knee surgery. Chris works full time at BYU and then comes home to take care of Ammon. They are hard working people who always put others first. Please help us give something back to them, and to Ammon.
Thank you for your consideration.
If you would like to read more on Ammon, check out his blog at http://ammonsjourney.blogspot.com.
**This account is run by Ammon's sister Gillian and is an effort to help raise money for a wheelchair accessible van for him and my parents. Below is his story, along with donation details at the end. Thank you so much for looking!**
Ammon was born October 5, 1995. He was born with spina bifida. Spina bifida is a birth defect in which a developing baby's spinal cord fails to develop properly.
The first 5 months of his life were spent fighting to live.
He is bound to a wheelchair, cannot use the restroom on his own, and up until two years ago, had a G-tube to eat. He also suffers from hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain.)
He has had 38 major surgeries - some of which were putting rods up his back, removing 10 disks from his back, and a tracheostomy to name a few.
He is youngest of 11 children. He's absolutely adored by all of his siblings and every single person who meets him! Ammon loves BYU Football, singing, movies (Disney especially), playing on his iPad, and reading. He also loves music and counts David Archuleta as his favorite! He will talk to and make friends with anyone he meets.
Through all of these physical hardships, he has been determined to live and fight. Ammon has this ability to see the positive through anything hard. He will always say : "Well, look at the bright side...".
He was recently featured in a dance/musical fireside with Lifehouse Performing Arts Academy. They questioned him beforehand for a video they were making of him. We wanted to share some of the questions they asked below, along with the answers he gave them:
Q: Do you feel broken in any way?
A: No, not at all.
Q: Why do you think God gave you this body? Others can walk and have normal bodies. Have you thought why you have this one?
A: Well, Christ came to the earth to pay for all our sins as long as we repent. None of us are perfect so I guess this is my thing. That’s why I have this body.
Q: Do you ever feel invisible?
A: No – only at stag dances. I don’t like to go to those because it’s dark in the room and it’s loud. My voice is so quiet that no one can hear me and they can’t see me, either. So I won’t go to stag dances any more.
Q: Do you think you have a purpose on this earth and what it would be?
A: We’re going to sing “Have I Done Any Good in the World Today” in choir on Sunday so I’ll say, “Have I done any good in the world today? Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad? If not, I have failed indeed.” I guess that’s my purpose.
After that questionnaire was finished, my mom wrote down these thoughts:
"There were many other probing questions and the answers Ammon gave were all very simple and straightforward. I thought, “Why do we make life so complex? Why can’t we have simple, powerful answers like this?
"When they didn’t get the “poor is me,” “feel sorry for me” answers, then they turned to me to get reality. The reality is that Ammon is the way he says he is. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself. He has been blessed with a purity and humility that compensates for his physical difficulties. We try to help him stay that way with positive things to say and do. The reality is that he is left out often by peers – not purposely but due to inconvenience. The reality is it is hard to take care of his physical needs. He is always (!) grateful for everything we do for him. He tells us a hundred times a day that he loves us and expects us to say it back. What kind of teenager is like that?!"
Ammon will turn 20 years old in October and graduated high school this past May. We are grateful he's lived this long, and feel immensly blessed to have him in our lives day after day.
Ammon loved his high school experience at Salem Hills High School where he felt included and loved and part of the school. He went to school dances and was voted Prom King his senior year!
He was also picked for a special scholarship that was given by the principal of the school. The school gives four special awards that are not connected with scholarship or money. They are awards of honor. The four awards are "Spirit, Honor, Heart and Success." Ammon got the award for "Heart."
Now that Ammon is graduated, he would like to fill his time doing a service mission for his church. In order to go out and serve others, he will need a reliable form of transportation.
Ammon lives at home with his parents, James (Jim) and Christina Clark. They have literally put their blood, sweat, and tears into taking care of all 11 of their children, especially Ammon who needs constant physical care. He has to be lifted in and out of his wheel chair into his bed, to the potty, shower, etc. Both Jim and Chris are both in their late 60's and lifting Ammon time and time again is taking a substantial toll on their bodies.
They've never had a wheelchair accessible van. They have a van that they took the chairs out of and bought a metal ramp (one they have to lift in and out of the van) to allow Ammon to enter and exit the van while seated in his power chair. However, the ramp is extremely heavy, awkward to carry, and takes up alot of space in the back of the van.
However, their van has 215,000 miles on it and is in need of major repair. This van is their ONLY way of transportation with Ammon. They have spent thousands of dollars to fix this van in the past two or three years to keep it running, but with the amount of miles on it and the cost of a new head gasket, it's time for them to get an upgrade.
Jim is unable to consistently physically work and had to recently undergo back and knee surgery. Chris works full time at BYU and then comes home to take care of Ammon. They are hard working people who always put others first. Please help us give something back to them, and to Ammon.
Thank you for your consideration.
If you would like to read more on Ammon, check out his blog at http://ammonsjourney.blogspot.com.