Handicap Van for John Paul
Donation protected
This online fundraiser is for Gina and Dave Harbison and their five children: Taylor (20), David (18), Joanna (16), John Paul (14), and Gianna (12).
Their Story:
My family is in dire need of a handicapped van to transport our son, John Paul, to his medical appointments, therapy, and to allow him to go out on a social level. John Paul was involved in a near-drowning accident on Easter Sunday 2002, in a small landscape pond at a family Easter celebration. He was only missing for a handful of minutes, but for a child to drown and sustain brain injury only takes three minutes. So, although he survived the drowning accident when the doctors gave him a 1% chance of living through the night, my son suffered a severe and global anoxic brain injury. He cannot walk, talk, eat, drink or move a muscle without our help. He has severe scoliosis, intractable seizures, cortical blindness, a feeding tube, a tracheal tube, chronic lung disease, and a myriad of other struggles and challenges from not being mobile. Through all of this, this brave little boy continues to love his life, smile, belly laugh and respond to his environment. He is truly a gift in our lives.
As you can imagine, the medical bills and special equipment needed to care for John Paul at home can be overwhelming. Back in 2003, we bought a 2000 15-passenger van and converted it into a handicapped van, adding a lift. This van has served us well for a number of years, but it is no longer reliable. Duebber’s Automotive has helped us maintain this vehicle over the years and has now deemed it useless. For the past year or two we have done very little in the way of outside activities with John Paul for fear of this van breaking down, or worse. We have tried to save the money to purchase a new van, but it has been next to impossible with raising our family on one income. And even that has decreased significantly, as my husband was laid off from a steady job as a project manager for a large electrical firm two years ago, and has been self-employed ever since. Our income has been unstable and drastically reduced and we have struggled to make ends meet.
We have found ourselves in the position of needing to reach out and ask for any support we can obtain from our community. Any help you can provide us would be greatly appreciated.
Their Story:
My family is in dire need of a handicapped van to transport our son, John Paul, to his medical appointments, therapy, and to allow him to go out on a social level. John Paul was involved in a near-drowning accident on Easter Sunday 2002, in a small landscape pond at a family Easter celebration. He was only missing for a handful of minutes, but for a child to drown and sustain brain injury only takes three minutes. So, although he survived the drowning accident when the doctors gave him a 1% chance of living through the night, my son suffered a severe and global anoxic brain injury. He cannot walk, talk, eat, drink or move a muscle without our help. He has severe scoliosis, intractable seizures, cortical blindness, a feeding tube, a tracheal tube, chronic lung disease, and a myriad of other struggles and challenges from not being mobile. Through all of this, this brave little boy continues to love his life, smile, belly laugh and respond to his environment. He is truly a gift in our lives.
As you can imagine, the medical bills and special equipment needed to care for John Paul at home can be overwhelming. Back in 2003, we bought a 2000 15-passenger van and converted it into a handicapped van, adding a lift. This van has served us well for a number of years, but it is no longer reliable. Duebber’s Automotive has helped us maintain this vehicle over the years and has now deemed it useless. For the past year or two we have done very little in the way of outside activities with John Paul for fear of this van breaking down, or worse. We have tried to save the money to purchase a new van, but it has been next to impossible with raising our family on one income. And even that has decreased significantly, as my husband was laid off from a steady job as a project manager for a large electrical firm two years ago, and has been self-employed ever since. Our income has been unstable and drastically reduced and we have struggled to make ends meet.
We have found ourselves in the position of needing to reach out and ask for any support we can obtain from our community. Any help you can provide us would be greatly appreciated.
Organizer
Tricia Ventre Re
Organizer
