Help Disabled Man-Vehicle Replacement-Medical Care

If you have visited my page previously, please be aware I have updated my story and goal amount. I hope this helps you better understand me, my condition, and my current needs. 
 
Hi! My name is Brad Shaffer and I appreciate you taking a few minutes to learn about my story. I hope it helps you understand who I am, how I live my life and why I’m reaching out through this GoFundMe campaign for some timely and much needed financial assistance. 
 
I’m now 55 years old, been married to my wife Traci for 26 years and have two grown kids. I was born with a condition called Paraspastic Paraplegia. I don’t want to get too “medical” on you, but please allow me to explain since this condition has been at the center of my life my whole life – and certainly contributed to the state of affairs I now find myself in.

Paraspastic Paraplegia is a progressive weakening and spasticity (severe stiffness) of my legs. Early in life (literally as a toddler) I had serious gait difficulties and stiffness. I was one of those little kids who got to wear braces on my legs as I was learning to walk and starting school. While I certainly recall things being challenging as far back as I can remember, I really never let it hold me back as a kid. I always remained positive and persistent. My friends like to share memories of me as a young kid doing things like playing sports, riding my 3-wheel bike, doing a paper route and other things that you (or others reading this) probably did as a child. I also always had a focus on making those around me feel comfortable with me and my disability. In fact, I probably went above and beyond with this and worked hard to make people laugh … a lot! 

 As typically happens with Paraspastic Paraplegia, my symptoms slowly progressed as I progressed through high school and beyond. The weakness, spasticity and as a result my ability to walk kept worsening. The weird thing is that I knew all along this was exactly what was going to happen to me. Yes, this sucked. But I pressed on and all the while I kept my sense of drive … and sense of humor. This was a necessity as I was dealing with the unique hand I’d been dealt in life.

As the years passed, I progressed from braces to a cane. To help you picture it, my gait was extremely affected. My legs would flail, and my feet would drag as I did my best to move around as needed. Despite this, I did graduate from college and was fortunate to get a job right after that. I’ve always worked. My jobs have primarily been in the funeral home business and retail positions in outdoor/sporting goods stores. As my working years went by, I moved from a cane to a wheelchair. 

You may be thinking that a wheelchair must be terrible to have to be in. Yes, it is! But what’s maybe worse with Paraspastic Paraplegia is all the other symptoms and conditions that come with it. They vary a lot among people with this condition. In my case, the extreme spasticity, altered gait and growing amount of time in my wheelchair have led to severe back pain and extensive spinal affects that eventually required spinal surgery, peripheral neuropathy, severe hearing loss with the threat of deafness on my doorstep. I could go on and on. Obviously, my frustrations, fears and battles have been endless. But frankly, I’ve never been one to go on and on about my condition. I’ve never wanted people to feel bad for me. And that is NOT what I want here either.

My extra unique challenge at this point is a combination of numerous factors. While my Paraspastic Paraplegia condition and associated medical effects have grown markedly worse over the past few years (just like any MD could have predicted), I’ve also had a whole other set of unfortunate circumstances recently. 

First, my wife lost her job just before Covid. Although it now seems like every business is trying to hire employees, when Covid started, it seemed they all went on a hiring freeze amidst the lockdowns, fear, and uncertainty. Since the time I had 2 spinal surgeries back in 2004, I’ve been instructed by doctors to not work full time due to concerns about how it would affect my spine and Spastic Paraplegia. We always got by, but it was always tight.  So, you can probably imagine how quickly a household burns through savings without its primary full-time income. But besides that, we no longer had the benefits associated with that job. I was legally required to secure health insurance. Everyone knows how expensive individual policies are. Ugh! To be blunt (which I’m good at!) the only policy I could afford sucks. It does not cover near what our old insurance did – which further accelerated our savings drainage. 

Because of this, I have had to omit much of the health care my spinal surgeon has recommended. This includes physical therapy, chiropractic, and massage for the chronic spasticity. Of course, eliminating these things results in my overall condition worsening. It’s a catch 22!

Most recently, I was involved in an auto accident that pretty much destroyed my vehicle. Yes, I drive even though I have no use of my legs. Several years ago, my wife and I invested a significant amount (for us) in a vehicle that was custom tailored to me and my disability. This was such a blessing to me, my family and Gannon, my service dog. Unfortunately, due to the accident, the vehicle needs replaced. As you might imagine, completely converting a vehicle to allow for wheelchair entry, access to seating, hand controls for throttle and brakes and all the other adaptations are not cheap! 

As luck would have it, after my accident the insurance company determined they will cover some aspects of repair and/or vehicle replacement - but what I received from my accident will not cover the conversion of a new/different vehicle that my disability requires. 
Think about this: the lack of a properly converted vehicle mean no ability to drive means. This means I cannot get to work. I also cannot get to my therapy and doctor’s visits. Again, I do not want to gripe and complain. It’s not my style. But, like most people reading this, my automobile is vital to my lifestyle and well-being.  

Here is a simple outline of my current needs which include a different vehicle, proper conversion, additional rental vehicle insurance (to assure this circumstance doesn’t happen again!) doctor recommended therapies over the upcoming year:
·       Used Truck:  $40,000* 
·       Disability Conversion: $15,000
·       Added Vehicle Rental Insurance: $2,500
·       Out of pocket medicine costs: $12,000
·       Physical Therapy: $12,000
·       Chiropractic Spinal Care: $5,000
·       Massage Therapy: $2,400
                  *Proper disability conversion requires a full-size van or truck.  

Ever hear of those life circumstances some people experience that have an “avalanche effect”? Well, this is where I feel like I am right now with my progressively worsening physical limitations associated with more and more medical conditions (and expenses) now coupled with transportation issues, growing therapy requirements and bla bla bla … you get what I’m saying. 

I’ve always worked my butt off despite my disability. And I’ve struggled tons about how to overcome this financial strain all of this has created in recent months. I’ve typically been able to overcome and provide for me and my family. But ultimately, I’ve concluded that I need help. 

Humbly I share this (much abbreviated) story of my life and the nature of what it’s like to grow older with a progressive and  crippling condition. With all of this in mind, I respectfully ask you to please consider contributing to my GoFundMe campaign. Anything will help, for sure! And my family and I will be greatly appreciative! 

In closing, I thank you for reading this far and ask that you please keep me and my family in your prayers. 

Thank you and God bless.

“Shaf”