Help Me Get Eric back into a truck!

Updated 8/25/23 @ 10:52pm

My name is Chase Jaeger (Chase Noble on Facebook. That’s the best place to follow the build!!) I am a man of principle, integrity, and honesty. If you have any questions about what it is I am trying to achieve, what my goals are, and how I intend to spend your donation please feel free to contact me directly.

The day after Thanksgiving 2021, my friend Eric Kellum was severely injured in a bicycle vs. car accident in Salem Massachusetts. He was left paralyzed from the waist down. Eric is wheelchair bound and has lost much of his mobility, and independence.

My goal is to help him retain his mobility and independence by personally building him a fully outfitted handicap accessible truck. Arguably maybe the only way I know how to help him.

See, Prior to the incident Eric was a hard working blue collar guy like myself, like so many of us. He had a job, he did work across many skilled trades, he was a jack of all trades. And he loved it!! Me personally, I know all too well that as a blue-collar guy that a job just isn’t a job, a repair just is not a repair, a task is not just a task. It gives us purpose, a soul, something to not only pay our bills, but look forward too. It gives us the strength to get out of bed, the stick-to-it-tivnous to power through task, the focus to complete something, and look forward to move on to the next challenge.

……and personally to me, everything I just named off is what I feel Eric needs back in his life to physically and emotionally deal with what he has gone through.

And I want to help give that back to him, and I will be forever grateful if you could help me.

I picture in my head him showing up to a job site triumphantly, and the whole side of this really awesome custom-made truck Hydraulically opens up and he is raised and lowered out of the vehicle, and all of his tools are accessible, and there’s a hydraulic platform to lift and lower him into the back of the truck where he can access all of his tools and belongings …… even if it’s not completely geared to work in a job site, a platform like that will allow him to go camping, go to the beach, go anywhere and not have to worry about the things that might be insignificant and trivial for people like me and you, but are overwhelming thoughts for someone who is unable to physically complete these task without much difficulty.

Take a second and wrap your head around how much independence and mobility a vehicle provides you with. It is a monumental, pivotable part of anyone’s adult life. Now the reality of the situation is if you were put in a place where you lost the use of your legs, without extensive work and considerations that reality is all but gone.

I have the tools, the knowledge, the shop, and the ability to make operating a vehicle a reality for Eric, and it would be an absolute honor for me to donate all of my time and experience to bring this dream dead smack into the physical world.

I want to make something perfectly clear, you don’t owe me anything, you don’t owe Eric anything. I’m a tough, blue-collar guy. He’s a tough blue-collar guy. Typically we don’t ask for help. We have too much honor and pride. But sometimes there’s situations where things are just a tiny bit too far out of reach. For Eric the reality of the matter is these vehicles are well north of 80,000, and given he hasn’t been able to work to his capacity, It’s an unrealistic place for him to be. My reality is I cannot donate hundreds of hours of my time and also pay for all of the materials. It’s just too far out of the scope of my reality.

So we need help.

I help him, you help me, you help him

All of us feel good and we give someone their life back.

So I think you get the gist and understanding what I’m trying to do but let me just lay out a quick game plan

1. A 2009 Chevy Silverado 4 door extended cab, 8 foot bed, 5.3 vortec, has already been purchased, and the interior and necessary front body components have been removed in preparation for fabrication. (See cover photo)

2. Materials not yet purchased include but are not limited to hydraulic pumps, hydraulic hoses, electronic hydraulic control systems, hydraulic cylinders, wiring components, metal stock…… various electronic controls, and switches and systems

I have set this fundraising goal to 10 grand ($7650 has been raised outside of this to date) because I am confident that I can take a worthy base vehicle and do what I need to do for under $20,000. Which, in hindsight considering these vehicles go for north of $80,000 used is still a homerun.

The two drivers side doors are going to be conjoined and hydraulically open as one in a Gullwing fashion, allowing exit and entrance with zero obstructions. The wheelchair will be lifted and lowered into the drivers seat position via a fully automated hydraulic lift assembly. Custom hand controls will be built to control the gas and brake pedals.

I will showcase all of the items purchased, and the progress of the vehicle, and I will be absolutely 100% transparent about all of the cost. (Via my FB page) At any time anyone can ask me publicly what items were purchased, what items cost, and where we stand with the build and I will answer immediately and directly publicly.

This is an opportunity for everyone to help out this individual, and I want it to feel that way. I want everyone to feel as if they were involved, and take pride in it, and be excited for it and I will do whatever I can through honesty and transparency to make that experience possible for everyone .

I think I’ve rambled on enough. If you would like to ask me any questions I would love to talk to you.

Thank you so much for your time. Take care!!!