Get Alejandro “On The Road Again”.

Handicap Vehicle for Alejandro

Family and Friends,

Many of you know I have taken my brother in to live with us and care for him. So I’d like to take a moment to update you on where we are. My younger brother Alejandro has lived his whole life with osteogenesis imperfecta. This is a devastating disease that makes his bones very brittle. It has stunted the growth of his legs and has kept him in a wheelchair his entire life. But this is something he has learned to live with and it hasn’t slowed him down as much as you’d think. I recall when we were kids, an elderly man asked him how long he’d been handicapped. Alex replied, “Mister, I’m not handicapped, I just can’t walk.” This has always defined him for me. However, after sixty years of pushing himself around in a wheelchair, he has finally worn out his shoulders to the point that he has lost much of the mobility that he had. But through modern medicine, they can do some amazing things these days. He is scheduled for a reverse total shoulder replacement on both shoulders, and the doctor is confident that they can restore the use of his shoulders and get rid of the excruciating pain that he lives with every day. We had this surgery scheduled for last year, but when we took him in for his CT scan for the surgery, they found he also has cancer. We had to bring everything to a halt while we dealt with his renal carcinoma. I have been taking him to Odessa for his treatments twice a month (270 miles each way) for the last year. The treatments are going well, and though they can’t cure it, they can slow it down, and they have given us the green light to proceed with the shoulder surgery. In the meantime, his shoulders have deteriorated to the point that he can barely move himself in his wheelchair, and he is going to require an electric chair. He is also going to need an accessible van to transport him in. I will no longer be able to hoist him into my truck to drive him to his treatments and doctor’s visits, especially while he’s recovering from his surgery. The electric chair is considered durable medical equipment and will be covered by Medicare and his insurance. But an accessible vehicle is not. He will require a van with a lift or a ramp to transport him without harming him while he heals. The good thing is that once he recovers from his surgery, he should regain most of the mobility he’s lost. Perhaps he will be able to play his guitar again and even drive himself in the van with hand controls. And so, this is what I am trying to raise money for: an accessible vehicle that I can transport him in to his treatments and follow-ups with his doctors. He has a 1988 Ford Econoline van that he has used for many years that is plumb worn out. The A/C is gone, and the transmission is faltering. Fixing it would be throwing good money after bad at this point. As I started looking at a replacement, I was taken aback at the cost of these vehicles. But I have found that there are actually quite a few of them available in good condition with very low mileage. I have seen a number of them in the $12,000 to $25,000 range with 40k to 60k miles on them, and so this is what I’m shooting for. I’m hoping that when he’s healed and more mobile, we can head out on a road trip with it. I’d like to take him to tour the West. We will make the best use of it while we can, but when the time comes that we no longer need it, my plan is to pay it forward and pass this vehicle on to someone else who has a need.

My brother has always been an inspiration to me. He has remained fiercely independent his whole life, always willing to try and help others in spite of his own needs. When I started receiving his mail at my home, I became aware that he has been contributing to a dozen organizations for years: Shriners, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, ASPCA, WWF, EDF, Veterans, Sierra Club, and the list goes on. He’s always been a soft touch for anyone needing help, and the donations still go out. But he never has, and never would, ask for help for himself. So I’m doing it for him.

Thank you so much for your consideration and any donations you may be able to help with. I am setting our goal at $25k, but if I find something for less, we’ll go there.

Sincerely,

Marcos Paredes