Some of you might know me as Mike but most refer to me as Big Mike. My wife Sarah and I have been married 20 years and have lived in Fountain Square the entire time in the same 1920's bungalow. We are relatively simple people with a desire for family above all else. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2011. It ended my career in the dairy manufacturing job I loved. We have continued to fight through each MS relapse, each hospital stay, each injury from a fall through the years but lately the falls are most frequent and each one takes a little piece of me making it harder to recover. We've done everything possible to make our home as ADA accessible considering old houses are not at all wheelchair friendly. From a hospital style bed to a power lift chair. From a wheelchair ramp to a modified transport chair to navigate the house. Each has been within our financial means by the grace of God. This time, however, we are facing a mountain I'm not sure how to climb even assuming my legs worked still like they should. Most of my falls have been in our bathroom because it's so small my transport chair and walker cannot fit to pivot. Despite having grab bars in the shower the toilet area has no immediate walls so grab bars are not an option. The only long term option is to move a wall increasing the size of the room by about 25 square ft. That doesn't sound like a lot but it's enough to allow my wheeled chair to enter the room, spin to meet the toilet moved to the wall with grab bars and safely use the facilities. The estimated cost is $30,000 for the entire project. To us that number is insurmountable since we are already maxed out paying for the last renovation to make the tub a walk in handicap accessible shower for me. My wife works full time and then some vendor shows on the weekends to make extra money. I'm on disability due to my disease. We don't live lavishly and are asking for the first time for a little help. Times are lean for everyone these days but if you could spare a little to help us out with attempting to meet this goal we sure would appreciate your compassionate generosity and kind support.

UPDATE- we've met our first milestone of $4500 due to the amazing kindness of a few generous souls. We are humbled by the outpouring of support. Please keep sharing our story online. It really makes a difference. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts.