Accessible Van for Marcos

Hi my name is Marcos Castillo and I started this page on my own, but not for myself. More then 12 years ago while I was a senior in high school I was in a motor vehicle accident which left me a C-4 through C-7 quadriplegic. I became paralyzed in the early morning of September 9th, 2001. It was a Sunday. Easily the most life altering day of my life. Two days later while everyone was trying to grasp the tragedy of 9/11 I was having 6 holes drilled into my head. I wore that "halo" for 3 1/2 months, but I wore it with a smile. Going as far as to adorn it with a Jack In The Box Christmas antenna head. For the next couple of years I grieved for the loss of my former self. I tried to reinvent myself and put the pieces back together. In January of 2004 I met the woman who I'll be spending the rest of my life with, Mina. That was the second most life-altering day of my life. That May we became boyfriend and girlfriend and we haven't looked back since. She became the bread winner and I became Mr. Mom to our three children. At the time they were almost 2, 4, and 6. Ten years later I find myself struggling to be a "normal" family. In the last year I have missed parent teacher conferences, wrestling matches and the opportunity to spend time with my loved ones. Independence, much like freedom, is one of those things which people tend to take for granted. I have committed myself to be more independent, but like I mentioned in the beginning I'm not only doing this for myself but for my family and for my community. Having this van would mean shorter medical trips, which in turn would mean a healthier me. It would mean not having to deny my kids extra curricular activities because they wouldn't have a safe ride to and from events and practices. It would reduce the isolation that so many times comes with paralysis. And it would mean that I can have the opportunity to volunteer in the spinal cord injury community. To give hope to those in their time of need. The same way it was given to me. Asking for help has been a constant struggle for me from the beginning, but I have noticed that it has affected those that I love. So I ask that you share this with those you love and do what you can to help. You will have my undying gratitude. Thank you.