Help my disabled husband achieve independence!

Hi, I'm Karina and this fundraiser is to benefit my husband. First, let me explain what hes been through and why he deserves this so much:

He’s so caring. He has had so many curveballs thrown at him in life. He was the child of a single, alcoholic, drug addict, neglectful mother. When he was 3, his appendix burst and he didn’t receive immediate medical care, then was rushed for emergency surgery. Then, when he was 15, there was a tumor located in his sinus cavity behind his eyes and he had to undergo surgery (including breaking his nose, separating and lifting his upper lip from his skull ) to access and remove the tumor that was wrapped around his carotid arteries, optical nerves, and beginning to protrude into his brain. When the burden of parenthood was too much for his mother, which it often was, he raised his little sister and made sure she got to school and was fed, clean and clothed properly. He began working doing roofing and odd jobs for his uncle at 12 years old to earn money and had worked ever since then…when he wasn’t having surgery or recovering from surgery or illness. Then at the time he broke his neck at 17, he was working at the mall, at Wendy’s, and was roofing on the side. When his little sister got married, he used all the money he had saved up to pay for the wedding, not because he had the extra. But it was that there wasn’t another person in her life who would do it and he wanted her to love her wedding. When his sister and her now ex-husband and their three children moved back to Illinois from Florida with nowhere to stay, he let them stay, rent free, in his 3 bedroom, one bathroom home for 13 months. When his little sister died in April of this year, Jason and his sisters’ half-siblings (they have different dads) had to scrape together money for her cremation. His sister passed around 9am that day. By the end of the day, he had opened a separate bank account , so Jason and her best friend could create a fundraiser for Jason’s three nephews. Because on her deathbed, she asked Jason to please make sure her boys are taken care of and he promised he would take care of them as he had always taken care of her.

Jason, his little sister, his son, and his nephew.

Us at our wedding in our backyard.

The last surgery trying to save his leg.

Home recovering after the amputation.

First attempts at sitting in the wheelchair after the amputation.

Testing out his wheelchair treadmill that his friends from highschool gifted him the Christmas after his amputation.

My husband is an incomplete quadriplegic due to a diving accident when he was 17. This means his spinal cord was not severed in the accident. He is considered a quadriplegic because he has impairment in all 4 limbs, well 3 limbs now. He has full sensation head to toe. He can’t move his leg. He has decent trunk control, strong upper body, but limited hand function. He lost his right leg above the knee due to a recurring infection in the knee and upper thigh area, that he battled off and on for 15 long years. He had countless surgeries and hospitalizations trying to save his leg, almost dying several times. But because of his strong will and determination he survived. The removal of his leg, though live altering, made his health much better. The adjustment to his mobility and independence has been rough and slow going. So being able to work from home would be a game changer for him.

Jason and his son at his son's wrestling tournament.

Explain project:

The garage we want to turn into an accessible workshop.

The recipient of this fundraiser is my husband, Jason. He doesn’t know I’ve created this campaign. Please keep it a secret. I don’t want to create doubt in his mind due to my own concerns for his safety. I truly believe he has the confidence and ability to succeed. I created this fundraiser to make sure he has the safest tools and equipment possible instead of just what we can afford. We live off of his social security which is about $1200 a month. His focus is to not need to be on government assistance or social security. The goal here is to turn our one car garage into a safe, wheelchair accessible workshop for my husband, where he can create and build. In the journey of trying to transform our garage into an accessible workshop, he has been inspired to create videos to inspire others. All funds raised will be used to purchase new tools with modern safeguards, proper safety gear and equipment to modify everything to be accessible to his specific needs.

Describe the recipient:

Jason and our puppy Mazi.

He was let go from his sales job of nearly 10 years, shortly after his store manager overheard my husband talking to a coworker about the upcoming amputation. He was exceptional at his job, winning multiple sales competitions including trips to annual sales award banquets in San Diego and Orlando. He ranked #1 in the company for sales multiple times. He was the top sales performer at his store every month. He feels extremely betrayed by the company he worked for and gave his all for almost 10 years. He has said he never wants to give his devotion and loyalty to another organization that treats their employees as if they were disposable.

Rocking his black shirt and short beard.

Top performer 2016

Number 1 sales consultant in the company 2014.

After losing his leg in November 2019, he was like a ship without a rudder. He became depressed and was having a hard time finding inspiration or direction for what the next chapter in his life should be like.

His little sister passed away April 12, 2023. In her last days, as he was speaking with her, he realized he needed to do something with his life that felt good to his soul. He decided he wanted to make a career of his woodworking hobby and turn our one car garage into a safe, wheelchair accessible workshop. In the process of trying to create this space, we found out that setting up a safe, wheelchair accessible shop is very expensive on an SSI income. The set up and modifications have been physically taxing on both of us. He is trying to adapt and modify secondhand tools and equipment to fit his needs. This means function first and safety last in most cases. I truly believe he can be very successful at woodworking because he has a true desire to be good at it. He’s got determination and drive like no one else I have ever met in my entire life. He is naturally a very creative and artistic person. He has an engineering mind and comes up with some really incredible ways to help our home be more functional for him. He has been inspired to create a YouTube channel to share these adaptations with others who could benefit from his creations. I feel he can combine those traits with woodworking and be very successful. His late sister’s oldest son, watched my husband’s first YouTube video and was so inspired by the idea that his uncle wanted to share his experiences with the world, that he has offered to become his media manager and help him film, edit, and post content.

We are in contact with a construction team from YouTube who are in Massachusetts who are willing to fly here and donate their time and skills to help transform the garage the way it needs to be for him to operate it as safely and independently as possible, and document it for their YouTube channel. But they are limited by the equipment that we have and the supplies we can afford to purchase. Its nearly impossible to save up money to start any business when living on a very low, fixed income. So our direction has changed from modifying the garage ourselves, to emptying the garage so the experts have a clean slate to work with. They are planning to be here in 4 to 5 weeks. Which gives us 4 to 5 weeks, to clear out and prep the garage, come up with the funds to acquire the electrical supplies so the electrician can have the electrical and lighting ready to go, come up with the funds for the garage floor, for the materials for the contractors, and the tools he will need so the experts can build, transform and adapt everything in the couple of days they will be here.

After tons of research, it seems that having new equipment with modern safety features is the best option to safeguard him from serious injury. It’s a necessity, not just a preference. While watching woodworking videos with Jason, we discovered that the majority of work will be done on the table saw. We know those can be very dangerous. We have seen that SawStop saws have the technology to automatically stop the blade when it comes in contact with skin, preventing serious injury and loss of digits. He's already lost enough pieces, I don’t want to lose any more of him! Unfortunately, that safety feature comes with a hefty price tag. This one piece of equipment is priced at $3,000 (base model with zero accessories/equipment) to over $10,000 for out feed table attachment, dust collection, extra saw brakes for when his skin comes in contact with the blade, mobile stand, and other attachments that, seemed important to him. Ease of use is very important too. He could be completely depleted of energy with each additional task he would need to do for a project, decreasing his focus and increasing his chance of injury. Having the attachments would allow him to spend his time working efficiently and safely. Him using the job site table saw on its flimsy stand and no safety features scares the crap out of me.

Another piece of equipment I know I consider to be of high importance is a dust collection system. We have done a few small projects with what we have on hand and saw dust filled the air and everywhere. I worry with his diminished lung function due to his spinal cord injury, breathing in any of fine dust from sanding or cutting could lead to breathing issues. According to the research I have done breathing in the fine dust particles is very dangerous for anyone especially for him. Again, he has spent enough time in the hospital and fighting to be healthy, I want to help provide all the safety possible.

I looked over the meticulous notes he’s been making and it looks like, even with the electrician donating the labor, it will still cost between $2,000.00 and $4,000.00 for just the electrical supplies to run a “sub panel” to turn our 3 outlet garage into a multi plug workshop: Sub panel, Breakers, Wires, Conduit, outlet boxes and outlets, and lighting.

Sealing and painting the garage floor to be non slip and moisture resistant will be another $1,200 in supplies and materials. Then finding someone to help with the physical labor involved with cleaning and prepping the floor, sealing the floor, painting the floor, and then applying the floor epoxy.

The contractors list of materials to build custom workbenches and tool stands, is another $3,000 to $4,000: 3/4 4X8 sheets of AC plywood, 2X4’s, unistruts, fasteners and hardware.

The dust collection unit plus tubes, hoses, clamps and other fixtures the system requires is between $2,000.00 for basic setup to upwards of $15,000.00 for the higher end. I see his list of wishlist tools, (including the StopSaw table saw) includes miter saw, band saw, track saw, sanders, planer, drill press, air compressor, plus hand tools and all accessories needed to run those tools, etc., is another $20,000 and $30,000.

Even with the amazing people donating their time and skills, we still need another $28,200 to $54,200. And that doesn't include things like setting up a business license, copyright, an LLC and startup supplies like hardwoods, glue, hardware and materials to create products and pieces of art.

Since he will need every possible square foot of the garage as a workshop, we are certain we will need to purchase a shed to store lawn equipment and totes of seasonal decor, off season clothes and anything else you would normally store in a garage that isn’t meant to be in a wood shop/business space. Which is a whole other project, creating a concrete slab, purchasing a shed of proper size and so on.

I want to surprise him with his dream workshop. I want it to be a safe space that he can build his career from to become self reliant again. A place where he can create content that will inspire and help so many others.

I know he will make do with whatever he has, as he has his entire life, but I will feel more secure knowing he has a space which is as safe as it can be for him to grow his talents.

Some of the photos were stolen from his Facebook. But here is the YouTube channel he started, please feel free to go subscribe, watch, like and comment. I really want him to have equipment that will keep him safe and allow him to build a career and inspire others.

http://www.youtube.com/@TheWheelchairWoodworker

”No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe”