A Wheely Cool Car for Kylie
Donation protected
Chapters:
1. The Anti-Sob Story
2. The Good Years (pun included) – story of 2014 to now
3. The Whole Purpose – of this project
4. The Plan – for where money is going
The Anti-Sob Story:
I’m going to be really honest here.
I need a car. Not just a car, but a handicap accessible vehicle because in 2006, I was in a car accident that broke my neck and severed my spinal cord. As a result, I’m a quadriplegic and I need a specially modified vehicle if I want to drive again.
I really, really want to drive again.
This is the last car I drove
People ask me what happened to me all the time, and I really don’t mind talking about it, but I don’t want anyone to look at me with sad eyes. I’m a really happy, loving girl, I promise! Just allow me to tell you my story with dignity.
Long story semi-short: in 2006, I was driven off the road by a semi-truck that never stopped driving. A hit and run, and in just seconds my family fell apart. My 6-year-old stepsister was killed and the remaining four of us -my dad, brother, stepmom, and myself - were rushed to separate trauma centers. I spent several months in the hospital where I was intubated and monitored while I healed from a spinal fusion. I had two tracheotomies, the second one resulting in the surgeons accidentally puncturing my esophagus, causing an esophageal fistula, which began an excruciating downward spiral of medical setbacks. One of the surgeons who tried to correct the mistake failed three times after two other surgeons tried before him, finally letting me know that he hadn’t dealt with my condition before and had no more options for me. My parents are deaf and had limited ways of communicating with my doctors, so we simply trusted them. He took my neck apart, removed all the hardware from the fusion other than a couple screws. I didn’t know I could have done something about it. I was 16 -I assumed they knew what they were doing. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only doctor who was so careless.
I was discharged home a year after my accident. I spent a lot of time bedridden during the first eight years of my recovery because of carelessness and lack of education. In total, I had 8 surgeries on my neck, two on my bladder, multiple feeding tubes, and two blood clots in my legs. Not to mention endless IVs, A-lines, and power ports. Blood transfusions, and antibiotics for months at a time. Infections, skin breakdown, osteomyelitis, hyperhydrosis. I’ve honestly lost track.
Finally my insurance authorized treatment from the Mayo Clinic. Their team put me back together as if it were the easiest thing in the world and suddenly after years of medical chaos, I reached a level of stability that I will never, ever take for granted. Now I hardly have time for my bed.
I want you to understand that everything I’ve gone through is almost totally eclipsed by the happiness I’ve found after leaving Mayo Clinic. Discovering my independence since that time has been nothing short of an adventure. Here, let me tell you about it!
The Good Years (Get it? Goodyear? Tires?):
In 2014, I was enrolled to Arizona State University for Creative Writing and moved into an on-campus apartment. Having caregivers and 24-hour ResLife staff available was a huge comfort for me and the convenience and accessibility of the campus really opened up my eyes to total independence. That was HUGE for me! I barely knew anyone, but I’m pretty friendly (I can hear my friends laughing at the understatement), so meeting people was easy. This is where a car comes in handy. Rebuilding your social life requires going places. I didn’t realize how vital a car is in that until I had to tell people I couldn’t go somewhere because I had no way to get there or it would take far too long to get there than it’s worth. Every time I missed out, it built up inside of me and my excitement about my thriving independence plateaued. In 2015, I met a new group of people who are my very best friends now. They rarely let my disability exclude me from going out with them, but sometimes they were stumped. In 2016, we made plans to go to California –my very first vacation since my accident- and they made sure everything would be accessible for me. And it was! We had to make some pretty major adjustments to make it happen, but it was a taste of freedom I didn’t expect and am eternally grateful for (sorry guys, it gets a little sappy, I love you :D). On the bus ride to L.A. I thought about how much easier my life would be if I had a license, so I emailed my Vocational Rehabilitation counselor and asked her how I could go about doing that. She pretty much said I needed to have the car first because I have to have special training in that particular car. Those cars can run up to $75,000. Ain’t no way. I dropped it. It was okay because we were making California happen and that was awesome in itself.
But then I went to Las Vegas. Then New York City. I found out that independent travel is a possibility and oh my gosh how crazy is that?!
However, more importantly, in January of 2016, I got a job I never thought I would get. After 10 years of not working, I got a job at an incredible company. They have been SO good to me and they're largely responsible for my rising confidence, financial stability, and urge to do great things. The company and my team has been an incredible support to me in ways I never expected a job to be. I feel really lucky to be a part of it and I want to give as much as I get! Which is a lot, which is difficult with a disability, which is why I need something this big.
The Whole Purpose:
I honestly think having a vehicle I can drive will open up so many opportunities for me professionally. I desperately need this vehicle to make a bigger career a possibility. I currently only rely on the city bus or light rail system; however, if anyone has ever relied on public transport, you'll know how unreliable it can be. I've been denied rides because ramps don't work or because the wheelchair spots were full. I've been injured due to drivers not properly tying down my chair. I've been made late due to ramp malfunctions, slow-moving drivers, and being left in the bus because the driver forgot to let me off. The light rail is great, but only has one line. If I need to call a taxi, I am charged an additional $10 fee on top of the traditional fare for using a wheelchair van. That fee is not applied to able-bodied passengers using the same van. Believe me, I've checked. They're also appointment-based only unless there is miraculously an available wheelchair van near me.
I don't use a manual chair (yet!), so it's not an option for me to hop into a car and fold up my chair for portability. How I get around is literally my only options. I've missed out on a lot of physical therapy because the time it takes to get to a facility would eat up my schedule.
This is affecting my ability to work. What should take me 15 minutes takes me two hours. If I need to leave work for health reasons, it takes me an hour and a half to get home, which is a real problem when something is actually wrong. If there is a store meeting I need to attend outside of public transportation hours, I'm potentially out of luck. But in reality, everything adds up on my attendence record and it's mostly totally out of my control.
A more personal need is for social aspects of mobility. I'm limited to the distance and schedule of public transportation. If my friends want to go somewhere I have to take three busses to, I'm staying home. If we want to take a trip an hour up north for break, I'm not able to use any sort of transportation to get there. If we want to take a trip out of state, I can't hop in the car with them. I'd love to see more of the world. Hell, I'd love to see more of my own city. I'd love to be able to go to the store and load up with things too big for me to carry in my lap. I'd love to visit the friends I have who live 30 minutes, an hour, or even a day away from me. I'd love to travel for work and for new opportunities. I'd even love to be a DD! It's the little things ;)
I want to better connect with my community and having a vehicle that releases me from the limits of public transit will be a luxury I will be incredibly grateful for.
I held back asking for help for years because I didn't want to use my disability to guilt people into helping me, but I think I could use a vehicle to give back as much as possible. I would love to take suggestions on things I could do as an incentive. If you didn't know, I can paint galaxies pretty well. I will make you one and if I somehow meet my goal, I will deliver it to you!
The Plan:
I'm making a goal of $50,000 for the cost of the vehicle, modifications, and training for my license. I'm aiming for something durable, cost efficient, and eco-friendly. This vehicle is going to be with me for quite some time. I'm not sure of the exact model yet, but modification companies tell me that the average cost of a modifiable vehicle itself is around $35-40k. The average cost of modifications alone is $30-35k. The type I need will allow me to access the driver’s seat with a ramp and drive using hand controls. Accessible driving training costs between $2-5k (it's cheaper in some other states, which I'd be happy to travel to in order to save a couple grand). If, by some chance, we surpass the goal, the remainder will be held for any future repairs.
Anything helps and everything is tremendously appreciated! If you can't help out financially, sharing my page is equally appreciated. It would mean the world to me for you to join me on this adventure!
1. The Anti-Sob Story
2. The Good Years (pun included) – story of 2014 to now
3. The Whole Purpose – of this project
4. The Plan – for where money is going
The Anti-Sob Story:
I’m going to be really honest here.
I need a car. Not just a car, but a handicap accessible vehicle because in 2006, I was in a car accident that broke my neck and severed my spinal cord. As a result, I’m a quadriplegic and I need a specially modified vehicle if I want to drive again.
I really, really want to drive again.
This is the last car I drove
People ask me what happened to me all the time, and I really don’t mind talking about it, but I don’t want anyone to look at me with sad eyes. I’m a really happy, loving girl, I promise! Just allow me to tell you my story with dignity.
Long story semi-short: in 2006, I was driven off the road by a semi-truck that never stopped driving. A hit and run, and in just seconds my family fell apart. My 6-year-old stepsister was killed and the remaining four of us -my dad, brother, stepmom, and myself - were rushed to separate trauma centers. I spent several months in the hospital where I was intubated and monitored while I healed from a spinal fusion. I had two tracheotomies, the second one resulting in the surgeons accidentally puncturing my esophagus, causing an esophageal fistula, which began an excruciating downward spiral of medical setbacks. One of the surgeons who tried to correct the mistake failed three times after two other surgeons tried before him, finally letting me know that he hadn’t dealt with my condition before and had no more options for me. My parents are deaf and had limited ways of communicating with my doctors, so we simply trusted them. He took my neck apart, removed all the hardware from the fusion other than a couple screws. I didn’t know I could have done something about it. I was 16 -I assumed they knew what they were doing. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only doctor who was so careless.
I was discharged home a year after my accident. I spent a lot of time bedridden during the first eight years of my recovery because of carelessness and lack of education. In total, I had 8 surgeries on my neck, two on my bladder, multiple feeding tubes, and two blood clots in my legs. Not to mention endless IVs, A-lines, and power ports. Blood transfusions, and antibiotics for months at a time. Infections, skin breakdown, osteomyelitis, hyperhydrosis. I’ve honestly lost track.
Finally my insurance authorized treatment from the Mayo Clinic. Their team put me back together as if it were the easiest thing in the world and suddenly after years of medical chaos, I reached a level of stability that I will never, ever take for granted. Now I hardly have time for my bed.
I want you to understand that everything I’ve gone through is almost totally eclipsed by the happiness I’ve found after leaving Mayo Clinic. Discovering my independence since that time has been nothing short of an adventure. Here, let me tell you about it!
The Good Years (Get it? Goodyear? Tires?):
In 2014, I was enrolled to Arizona State University for Creative Writing and moved into an on-campus apartment. Having caregivers and 24-hour ResLife staff available was a huge comfort for me and the convenience and accessibility of the campus really opened up my eyes to total independence. That was HUGE for me! I barely knew anyone, but I’m pretty friendly (I can hear my friends laughing at the understatement), so meeting people was easy. This is where a car comes in handy. Rebuilding your social life requires going places. I didn’t realize how vital a car is in that until I had to tell people I couldn’t go somewhere because I had no way to get there or it would take far too long to get there than it’s worth. Every time I missed out, it built up inside of me and my excitement about my thriving independence plateaued. In 2015, I met a new group of people who are my very best friends now. They rarely let my disability exclude me from going out with them, but sometimes they were stumped. In 2016, we made plans to go to California –my very first vacation since my accident- and they made sure everything would be accessible for me. And it was! We had to make some pretty major adjustments to make it happen, but it was a taste of freedom I didn’t expect and am eternally grateful for (sorry guys, it gets a little sappy, I love you :D). On the bus ride to L.A. I thought about how much easier my life would be if I had a license, so I emailed my Vocational Rehabilitation counselor and asked her how I could go about doing that. She pretty much said I needed to have the car first because I have to have special training in that particular car. Those cars can run up to $75,000. Ain’t no way. I dropped it. It was okay because we were making California happen and that was awesome in itself.
But then I went to Las Vegas. Then New York City. I found out that independent travel is a possibility and oh my gosh how crazy is that?!
However, more importantly, in January of 2016, I got a job I never thought I would get. After 10 years of not working, I got a job at an incredible company. They have been SO good to me and they're largely responsible for my rising confidence, financial stability, and urge to do great things. The company and my team has been an incredible support to me in ways I never expected a job to be. I feel really lucky to be a part of it and I want to give as much as I get! Which is a lot, which is difficult with a disability, which is why I need something this big.
The Whole Purpose:
I honestly think having a vehicle I can drive will open up so many opportunities for me professionally. I desperately need this vehicle to make a bigger career a possibility. I currently only rely on the city bus or light rail system; however, if anyone has ever relied on public transport, you'll know how unreliable it can be. I've been denied rides because ramps don't work or because the wheelchair spots were full. I've been injured due to drivers not properly tying down my chair. I've been made late due to ramp malfunctions, slow-moving drivers, and being left in the bus because the driver forgot to let me off. The light rail is great, but only has one line. If I need to call a taxi, I am charged an additional $10 fee on top of the traditional fare for using a wheelchair van. That fee is not applied to able-bodied passengers using the same van. Believe me, I've checked. They're also appointment-based only unless there is miraculously an available wheelchair van near me.
I don't use a manual chair (yet!), so it's not an option for me to hop into a car and fold up my chair for portability. How I get around is literally my only options. I've missed out on a lot of physical therapy because the time it takes to get to a facility would eat up my schedule.
This is affecting my ability to work. What should take me 15 minutes takes me two hours. If I need to leave work for health reasons, it takes me an hour and a half to get home, which is a real problem when something is actually wrong. If there is a store meeting I need to attend outside of public transportation hours, I'm potentially out of luck. But in reality, everything adds up on my attendence record and it's mostly totally out of my control.
A more personal need is for social aspects of mobility. I'm limited to the distance and schedule of public transportation. If my friends want to go somewhere I have to take three busses to, I'm staying home. If we want to take a trip an hour up north for break, I'm not able to use any sort of transportation to get there. If we want to take a trip out of state, I can't hop in the car with them. I'd love to see more of the world. Hell, I'd love to see more of my own city. I'd love to be able to go to the store and load up with things too big for me to carry in my lap. I'd love to visit the friends I have who live 30 minutes, an hour, or even a day away from me. I'd love to travel for work and for new opportunities. I'd even love to be a DD! It's the little things ;)
I want to better connect with my community and having a vehicle that releases me from the limits of public transit will be a luxury I will be incredibly grateful for.
I held back asking for help for years because I didn't want to use my disability to guilt people into helping me, but I think I could use a vehicle to give back as much as possible. I would love to take suggestions on things I could do as an incentive. If you didn't know, I can paint galaxies pretty well. I will make you one and if I somehow meet my goal, I will deliver it to you!
The Plan:
I'm making a goal of $50,000 for the cost of the vehicle, modifications, and training for my license. I'm aiming for something durable, cost efficient, and eco-friendly. This vehicle is going to be with me for quite some time. I'm not sure of the exact model yet, but modification companies tell me that the average cost of a modifiable vehicle itself is around $35-40k. The average cost of modifications alone is $30-35k. The type I need will allow me to access the driver’s seat with a ramp and drive using hand controls. Accessible driving training costs between $2-5k (it's cheaper in some other states, which I'd be happy to travel to in order to save a couple grand). If, by some chance, we surpass the goal, the remainder will be held for any future repairs.
Anything helps and everything is tremendously appreciated! If you can't help out financially, sharing my page is equally appreciated. It would mean the world to me for you to join me on this adventure!
Organizer
Kylie Thompson
Organizer
Tempe, AZ