Help Brenda & Bert Get a Wheelchair Van

Hi Friends and Family. Just a quick backstory as to why I'm starting this GoFundMe fundraiser for my sister and brother-in-law, Brenda & Bert Berthelot. Some of our friends may not know, but in June of 2023, Bert and his two sons went to Omaha, Nebraska to catch game two of the LSU/Florida 2023 College Baseball World Series. You may remember that game when Florida drummed LSU 24-4.

The photo you see of Bert with his two sons was taken just minutes prior to Bert's horrible fall and is also the last time Bert has been seen standing upright on his own two feet. Yes, Bert is now paralyzed from the waist down. Shortly before entering the baseball stadium, Bert was walking in the crowd as they were crossing the street to enter the stadium. When approaching the sidewalk, Bert did not see the curb/transition/step up from the street to the stadium sidewalk.

Bert tripped and face-planted into a steel post barricade embedded in the concrete to keep vehicles off of the curb. Immediately, Bert was numb and could not move his limbs. Bert does not drink, so alcohol was not a factor. He remained in Omaha, Nebraska for the next several months while undergoing surgeries and intense therapy, but nothing at this point has helped him regain his ability to walk. He is wheelchair-bound, and they have acquired a lot of bills due to Bert not being able to go back to work and Brenda having to take time from her job to assist him. They've had to make alterations/remodel their home to make it wheelchair accessible and to make matters worse, Bert has to go to kidney dialysis several times a week. He was on the kidney transplant list, but they removed him from the list once they learned he could no longer walk.

This fundraiser is to mostly help them purchase a new medical transport type van to make it easier for Bert to transfer from his home, vehicle, to doctors' appointments and anywhere else he may need to go. The use of this van will make it much easier for them both. They also could use the extra funds to help pay off some of the other costs they have endured.

We are trying to at least raise $30K to help them purchase a used wheelchair accessible van, so any funds you can donate to go to this great cause will be much appreciated. Anyone that knows this family knows they have big hearts and would do the same for anyone else, so we ask that you please help share this fundraiser and let's get them that van.

Thank you so much!