Help Sara make her house accessible!

If you know Sara, chances are you've already benefited from her giving heart, her generous friendship, and her sweet crazy weirdness. You also probably know that she hates asking for help.

 

But she needs us! Now is our chance to show her how much we love her.

 

Sara has been diagnosed with a motor neuron disease.* Over the last three years, her disease has progressed and gradually robbed her of sensation, muscle control, balance, and mobility. She's been unable to work for the last 14 months.

 

She's glad that her insurance will pay for a lovely power wheelchair to give her some independence and mobility. She's excited to get her new wheels!!!

 

But you know what insurance doesn't help with? Wheelchair ramps and house modifications. Sara and her husband Jeremiah need to make many alterations to their house, starting with a wheelchair ramp strong enough to hold her power chair. They also need to remodel one of their bathrooms to be accessible for Sara and alter several of their door frames to allow her wheelchair to fit.

 

Believe it or not, a simple power wheelchair ramp costs an average of $3,000+. Jeremiah hopes to be able to build the ramp himself, but just the raw materials will be nearly a thousand dollars to support the weight of the chair. He is also hoping to work with family/friends to tear out their existing bathroom and install accessible facilities, instead of paying for a contractor. They will be trying to save money every step of the way, but NONE of this comes cheap. If they somehow end up with money after the work on the house, they need to think about a van which can hold her wheelchair.

 

Okay. So maybe you're thinking to yourself: If health insurance will provide a wheelchair, why aren't there any social support services which will provide Sara with a ramp? Why aren't there any services which can come make her house accessible? How are people supposed to afford all of this?

 

Good questions, friends. But there aren't any services that can help her right now.

 

You know who can help? We can help.

 

We love Sara, Jeremiah, Emma, and Elijah. We want her to have the highest possible quality of life. We want her to have mobility and safety in her home.

 

If you can donate, please do. If you can share this fundraiser with other folks who love Sara--or, you know, with any secret billionaires you might know?--please do.

 

Let's make this happen for Sara and her family.

 

*What's a motor neuron disease? Motor neuron diseases are a group of progressive neurological disorders that damage/destroy motor neurons--the cells that control muscle activity. You may have heard of ALS; that's one form of motor neuron disease. Sara has been seeing specialists and undergoing tests, but we still don't have a name for her specific motor neuron disease. Motor neuron disease can cause wide-ranging loss of function.