Gain freedom from my wheelchair
Donation protected
My name is Rene Cantu and I am a 34 year old man living with an incurable disease called Bethlem Myopathy. This is a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy that has made me wheelchair bound and has required me to live a very dependent life. The most independence I’ve been able to gain out of my life is living on my own in an apartment and only with the assistance of aides.
I was diagnosed with this disease at the age of two. So you could say most of my life has been a physical struggle, but fortunately I was blessed with a are very supportive and loving Family that has always been here for me threw the good the bad and the ugly. They have always tried to help me feel like I was never any different than anyone else, and because of this I have grown up always having a great outlook on life, but in my wheelchair.
I have to say that growing up from childhood to adulthood has always been a part of my disease that haunts me. I've tried for so many years to accept my illness and not allow it get to me. I've done a great job of hiding my feelings really well, but I suffer daily in silence. I fight and struggle everyday that I wake up to be more independent and to make more of a life for myself. It has always been so difficult going through life watching others do what I will NEVER be able to do. I've always sat back and have watched people do the simplest things like stepping up onto a curb, getting in their car and driving away, walking and having the ability and freedom to do things I have never been able to do. Just imagine living life without privacy, always waiting on someone to help you or to take you somewhere you need to go because you don’t have the muscle strength to get in and out of a car without assistance. It makes me feel so defeated! So I spend most of my time inside my apartment alone and stuck. I can only imagine how great it would feel to get in a car whenever I felt like it, without the need to have someone there lifting and helping me. I don't know that life of just getting and going to dinner with my family, or meeting friends to watch football, or to do all the things a grown man does in his thirties. There have been times I've stayed in my apartment for an entire week, because I can’t get in my own car without always having someone tagging along and having to plan it around the aides schedules. Some days I wish I could just wake up, get ready and get my day started by going to the grocery store or a restaurant and enjoying my freedom and having a choice. I need this in my life, it's time. There is a way to gain this freedom and independence that I seek so greatly, and the answer would be with a modified car.
Now if my illness wasn't sad enough, the part that drives me to reach out even more is for my son. I was so blessed with a son named, Noah, who is now 3 years old. Let me tell you, my little boy gives me all the motivation to keep on fighting this terrible disease and to be the best father I can be for him. I've just woken up and realized that I can’t allow this disease to steal me away from him. I love him dearly and I fight everyday to show him what it is to be a loving father and a great man. I only hope that he will grow up to be proud of me and to have great memories of things we did together. I watch dads out in public, all the time, putting their kids in the car, taking them places and I feel bad that I am not able to do that for him. I would love to be able to take my son out and have a good time with him without having to worry about how we will do this and who is available.
I decided to setup a GoFundMe account to purchase a modified car that will allow me to drive my wheelchair directly into the car, and drive myself where ever and whenever I wanted to go somewhere. Modified cars are so expensive, something that I could never get on my own. I'd given up hope of ever experiencing freedom until I learned about GoFundMe.
Your donation will be helping me experience the freedom and independence I have been yearning pretty much my entire adult life, it will change my life!!!! I will be able to get a job, go to school, and pickup my son from daycare so I could spend more time with him. I will never know how much time I have left so please find it in your heart to help me acquire a life that will forever change me.
I ask for your donation so that I may enjoy the time I have left with some semblance of a life. My goal is to raise 20,000 to purchase a modified vehicle for the disabled. If you are not able to donate, I would like to ask that you spread the word by sharing my campaign with all your friends. I greatly appreciate the time you spent to read my campaign and your donation. My mother Carmen has created this campaign on my behalf.
Thank you,
Rene
I was diagnosed with this disease at the age of two. So you could say most of my life has been a physical struggle, but fortunately I was blessed with a are very supportive and loving Family that has always been here for me threw the good the bad and the ugly. They have always tried to help me feel like I was never any different than anyone else, and because of this I have grown up always having a great outlook on life, but in my wheelchair.
I have to say that growing up from childhood to adulthood has always been a part of my disease that haunts me. I've tried for so many years to accept my illness and not allow it get to me. I've done a great job of hiding my feelings really well, but I suffer daily in silence. I fight and struggle everyday that I wake up to be more independent and to make more of a life for myself. It has always been so difficult going through life watching others do what I will NEVER be able to do. I've always sat back and have watched people do the simplest things like stepping up onto a curb, getting in their car and driving away, walking and having the ability and freedom to do things I have never been able to do. Just imagine living life without privacy, always waiting on someone to help you or to take you somewhere you need to go because you don’t have the muscle strength to get in and out of a car without assistance. It makes me feel so defeated! So I spend most of my time inside my apartment alone and stuck. I can only imagine how great it would feel to get in a car whenever I felt like it, without the need to have someone there lifting and helping me. I don't know that life of just getting and going to dinner with my family, or meeting friends to watch football, or to do all the things a grown man does in his thirties. There have been times I've stayed in my apartment for an entire week, because I can’t get in my own car without always having someone tagging along and having to plan it around the aides schedules. Some days I wish I could just wake up, get ready and get my day started by going to the grocery store or a restaurant and enjoying my freedom and having a choice. I need this in my life, it's time. There is a way to gain this freedom and independence that I seek so greatly, and the answer would be with a modified car.
Now if my illness wasn't sad enough, the part that drives me to reach out even more is for my son. I was so blessed with a son named, Noah, who is now 3 years old. Let me tell you, my little boy gives me all the motivation to keep on fighting this terrible disease and to be the best father I can be for him. I've just woken up and realized that I can’t allow this disease to steal me away from him. I love him dearly and I fight everyday to show him what it is to be a loving father and a great man. I only hope that he will grow up to be proud of me and to have great memories of things we did together. I watch dads out in public, all the time, putting their kids in the car, taking them places and I feel bad that I am not able to do that for him. I would love to be able to take my son out and have a good time with him without having to worry about how we will do this and who is available.
I decided to setup a GoFundMe account to purchase a modified car that will allow me to drive my wheelchair directly into the car, and drive myself where ever and whenever I wanted to go somewhere. Modified cars are so expensive, something that I could never get on my own. I'd given up hope of ever experiencing freedom until I learned about GoFundMe.
Your donation will be helping me experience the freedom and independence I have been yearning pretty much my entire adult life, it will change my life!!!! I will be able to get a job, go to school, and pickup my son from daycare so I could spend more time with him. I will never know how much time I have left so please find it in your heart to help me acquire a life that will forever change me.
I ask for your donation so that I may enjoy the time I have left with some semblance of a life. My goal is to raise 20,000 to purchase a modified vehicle for the disabled. If you are not able to donate, I would like to ask that you spread the word by sharing my campaign with all your friends. I greatly appreciate the time you spent to read my campaign and your donation. My mother Carmen has created this campaign on my behalf.
Thank you,
Rene
Organizer
Carmen Torres
Organizer
Frisco, TX
