Greetings, friends, family, and those I have not had the pleasure of meeting. Many of you know I have been paralyzed for nearly 27 years. I was involved in a car accident my senior year in high school that left me paralyzed from the belly button down. I was airlifted to UCLA medical center, where I underwent 20+ hours of surgery to stabilize my spine and fuse my vertebrae. The accident smashed my T-7, T-8 vertebrae, which left me joyfully rolling around this beautiful planet for the last 27 years. I had metal rods placed in my back to keep my spine straight while my vertebrae healed. It was a rough time, but with the love of my family and friends, I came out of it a better, much happier person.

What some of you may not know is that I have stood up less than a handful of times within those years and that my wheelchair does not allow for excursions that often take place during vacations. For example, we have traveled to the beach and gone camping, yet I remained unable to venture onto sand or leave a campsite. You see, my goals are to enjoy such experiences with my wife and children, yet I repeatedly find myself sitting benched on the sidelines. In other words, I am missing out on a lot of fun things with my family, and they are missing out on us truly making these memories together. However, rather than dwell on such missed opportunities, I would like to share with you a possible solution for us, with the hope of seeing it as a certainty.

I accept that being paralyzed has left me with indefinite limitations; however, modern technology has allowed for the manufacturing of devices, specialty wheelchairs, and adaptive equipment that can assist my family and me in getting off the pavement to enjoy things we have been missing out on. Thus, the reason I am creating this GoFundMe is to ask for assistance with acquiring some of these adaptive devices and specialty wheelchairs.

The unexpected conditions of our current world have left many of us in positions that donations are not feasible, and this is understandable. That said, those that are in a position and mind frame to help would be doing something for my family that will drastically change our lives. Moreover, even passing this idea along to others might help in unforeseen ways, and I would be most appreciative of the possibility this might reach the right person. In other words, any assistance that helps me achieve such a priceless goal would come with our eternal gratitude.

To help illustrate this goal, I have attached a picture of one of the wheelchairs that can assist me with standing (which will help my circulation and overall health tremendously). More importantly, this particular product would give me the ability to go just about anywhere someone on their feet can go, and thus anywhere my family would want to go. You will see that with such a device, my family would no longer need to leave me on the sidelines of exploration as I would be free to join them. Moreover, the cost of this chair, its carrier, and other needed equipment is astronomical, which is why there is a need for this GoFundMe; such a game-changer is unreachable without aid and is not covered for us by insurance or payment plans. What you’ll find is just one of the many devices available to help my family reach a goal of enriched and meaningful time together and a beginning to a newer and better life for my family. Also, you will notice a similar chair in my cover photo, which was taken last summer when I was able to go on my first hike in 27 years with my family using a similar chair. The difference is that that chair has no standing capabilities. There are many other products that I am in need of, but this chair tops them all, and if there is a chance that with the help of all my friends, family, and social media that I could possibly acquire one, I would be forever grateful.

I sincerely thank you for taking the time to read this and will gladly welcome any ideas or questions regarding our goal. Much love and thanks to you all, and Happy Holidays!

Dwayne Dahlberg

Dwayne