Accessible Van & Bed for Matt Lowe

Matthew is a 16 year old boy who is terminally ill with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. His family needs a wheelchair accessible van. Matthew's mom has a 21 year old handicap accessible van that was appreciatively donated to her 3 years ago. It has helped them out immensely but it's age is started to affect it. It is a large van that has low gas mileage, a leak in the radiator and a many other mechanical problems. My mom has to take my brother by themselves at times to the doctor and other appointments and its hard when he is in a big van like that to be able to help him if something happens on the road. Matt and his mom, Alauna, lives in Idaho and often has to travel to doctors appointments in Boise and Salt Lake City. The mechanical problems make in hard to drive because if something happens to the van and it's broken down on the side of the road, my mom and brother can't just get into anyone's car that offers them help since Matt is in a 350+ pound wheelchair. My brother has no muscles and hardly any fat so he gets hot and cold really easy making it a scary and difficult situation if they are stranded on the side of the interstate.  The van also gets really low fuel mileage making trips to the doctor not only scary but expensive too. My mom has often had help from Medicaid to pay someone to take her to the doctors appointments, however they have since refused to pay because my mom technically does have an accesible van, no matter how bad the condition is. My brother missed a doctors appointment on June 27th because he couldn't get to the MDA doctors in Boise and the doctors do not travel to Twin Falls. Doctor's appointments aren't the only problem with not having a vehicle either. As many know, we just found my older brother whom my mom gave up for adoption when she was 18. It turns out he has muscular dystrophy too, just like Matt. It is very important for them to be able to interact and see each other on a regular basis to help each other cope with the disease they live with. Could you imagine going your entire life feeling like you have no one to relate to only to find out that you have a brother just like you? Now imagine not being able to see him. Matthew and his brother TIm have a short life expentancy like all boys with DMD. Our family tries not to focus on that fact, but it is present in the back of our minds and we want nothing more than to help him have a better quality of life and some independence for both my mom and Matt. They don't deserve to rely on others when they need to go to the doctor or see our brother Tim and do other family functions.

My mom cannot work because my brother needs to be taken care off at all times of the day. He can't be left alone because he cannot open a door or pick up a phone call 911 incase of an emergency. We have tried to get help from all other sources and have written all the letters and made all the phone calls. The answers we have gotten are 'alot of people rely on family and friends for help'. That is not an answer we would have liked to receive because my family is the do-it-yourself type, but we are at a loss. We really need a van because Matthew has missed enough doctor's appointments and was recently put in the ICU for the common cold, the doctors didn't know if he would make it. He now has to go in for surgery for a feeding tube and my mom doesn't know how she will make it back down to Salt Lake City for that. He is on a Bi-Pap machine at night to help him breathe and he has a cough assist machine to help him cough. We really need a van so he can get the care he deserves. Anything helps! Honestly, anything.

FUNDRAISING FACEBOOK PAGE: MUSCLES FOR MATT.
TENNIS TOURNAMENT BEING HELD AT CSI TENNIS COURTS HOSTED BY BAMPA SCHOOL OF TENNIS ON SEPTEMBER 6TH. RAFFLES AND COMPETITION ORGANIZED BY CHLOE MORRIN (ALSO ON FACEBOOK). CONTACT CHLOE MORRIN FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING TOURNAMENT. SHANNA LING IS MATTHEW'S OLDER SISTER, CONTACT HER FOR ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING FAMILY SUPPORT.
IF YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE TOURNAMENT, YOU DO NOT NEED TO DONATE HERE UNLESS YOU WOULD LIKE TO. IF YOU ARE NOT PARTICIPATING OR ATTENDING THE TOURNAMENT, YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO, OR YOU ARE WELCOME TO DONATE HERE.