Bring Aaron Back to His Family's Everyday Life

Where to begin?

Aaron McLeod, 35 years old, is a husband and father of 2. His sons are 6 and 3 years old. Aaron was raised differently than most. He was taught to work hard and help others. His father instilled values in him that have started to disappear in today’s generations. He is the type of man that goes above and beyond not only as a worker, but as a son, brother, friend, husband and father. A man that will put his day on hold in order to help a stranger broken down on the side of the road. He’s as selfless as they come. To a fault, in the eyes of some. New socks, underwear, and work shirts have always been what he asks for when his birthday or Christmas comes around.

Aaron never wanted a wife or children, until he met his other half. When they got married, his whole outlook on life changed. He wanted a more traditional life. To be the provider, going to work everyday while his wife stayed home and raised his children. For the past almost 10 years, he’s been doing just that. Life as a single-income household with 2 young children has been hard, but not impossible. The past 6 years, the McLeod family has been staying with other family.

After the loss of Aaron’s father earlier this year, he got news that a substantial raise was coming from work going into effect on July 1st. This raise would make it possible for the family to obtain their first home. After years of hard work and sacrifice, their next step to making their dreams come true was finally within their grasp. However, life had a different plan.

On June 5th, Aaron’s oldest son had his 6th birthday. On June 12th, Aaron turned 35. And on June 19th, their lives changed forever when Aaron had an accident at work and had to be airlifted to Spartanburg Hospital. I won’t go into details regarding the accident. Aaron broke the collar of his C5 vertebrae, effectively damaging his spinal cord. He spent roughly 2 weeks in Spartanburg before being transferred to Atlanta, GA for 3+ months of rehabilitation.

The family has stayed together, temporarily moving themselves to GA in order to be with Aaron. His recovery is going well, but he is now sequestered to a power wheelchair, just like his father before him.

There are still many challenges and hurtles to come. We are currently working with a lawyer and workers comp in order to help secure housing. Negotiations are in progress. However, we have been informed that workers comp is unwilling to assist us in securing personal transportation for Aaron. What this means, is that Aaron is essentially stuck. Without a personal wheelchair accessible van, he can’t go to the grocery store, sporting events or field trips with his children. There are so many everyday things he is missing out on without a van.

Unfortunately, being a single income household, there is now no source of income coming in. Financing a vehicle isn’t even an option. So, here we are. Swallowing our pride, and reaching out for help. We are hoping to be able to buy a used wheelchair accessible van from MobilityWorks. These vans are more expensive due to the modifications. A decent used accessible van runs from $30 - $40,000. Help us get Aaron back into the community, back to being a more active father.

Much love and appreciation,

The McLeod Family