Help Michael get a wheelchair accessible vehicle

Hi! My name is Michael and my mom and a dad are raising money so I can get a wheelchair accessible vehicle. I am turning 13 this year and when I born, I was born with a virus that caused a lot of medical issues for me. This caused me to become a full time wheelchair user and totally dependent on my family for a care. I just wanted to share a little bit more about myself. I love to play with my dogs, swim with my mom and dad, hang out with my sister, watch sports and go for car rides. The last part is a lot harder the bigger I get. For me to go out in our minivan these days, my mom or dad have to transfer me into our minivan by lifting me out of my wheelchair and into my car seat. The bigger I get, the more challenging that becomes. I need more leg room because of my carseat so the person sitting in front of me is pretty squished, my car seat is not as comfortable as my chair and lifting and moving me is a lot of wear and tear on my mom and dad’s backs. Also, when I go out in our minivan, my chair has to be lifted into the back for the van. The bigger I get, the heavier my chair gets. It takes 2 people to lift my chair safely but that’s not possible most of the time. A lot of times only one of them is available to take me to an appointment or if we need to go out somewhere. So my mom or dad puts my chair in the van themselves which causes wear and tear on my mom and dad and on my chair.

My mom and dad have done a lot of research about what we need so that I can safely travel. Mom says like everything else in the special needs world, accessible vehicles cost crazy money. So we are saving our money and fundraising. If we were able to get an accessible vehicle, I could go out whenever I need or want to. My mom or dad could take me to appointments on their own with more ease. On the weekends I could go for car rides or we could drive down to the beach and I could go for a ride in my chair. Maybe when I’m going stir crazy and want to get out of the house, I could just go on a Target run with mom. An accessible vehicle would make life easier for us and would allow me the opportunity to be included more in activities with less wear and tear on everyone.

I appreciate you taking the time to read about me and truly appreciate any support you can offer.