Sean McQuay Home Remodel

Sean McQuay is a 28-year-old young man who was diagnosed with Friedreich Ataxia in 2013.  After many doctors’ visits and tests, it was determined he had a genetically transferred disease called Friedreich Ataxia, a disease that attacks the nervous system.  The first symptom we noticed was his unsteady gait, if you didn’t know better you would think he was drunk when you saw him walking. In addition to attacking the nervous system this disease can also lead to scoliosis, heart disease, and diabetes.  It is progressive, and Sean will ultimately end up in a wheelchair because of the effects it will cause to his body. There is no medication, therapy, or cure for Friedreich Ataxia currently.

At this point Sean is using a walker, wears braces on his legs, has slurred speech, has issues with writing, is constantly tired, and has been diagnosed with scoliosis.  At his last doctor’s appointment, it was determined that not only does the bathroom at our home need to be remodeled to accommodate his condition and general unsteadiness, but his car will also need to have the pedals moved from the floor to the steering wheel.

Currently our bathroom is not big enough for him to bring his walker in to and estimates for a remodel to accommodate this run between $9,000.00 and $16,000.00.  The large gap in the estimates is because the tile around the bathtub may crack when it is removed which would ultimately push the cost towards the higher end. At this point in time we don’t have a cost on changing over the pedals in his car.

I am his mother, DeEnna, and he has lived at home with me the last several years as his physical condition has steadily deteriorated.  I am divorced and work full time to support us as best I can on a single parent income. I don’t have the resources to be able to pay to have the bathroom remodeled and to have his car changed over.  So far, I have been able to have all the carpet removed and replaced with laminate flooring as well as having the hallway entrance from our living room opened so that he could get through it while using his walker. We also had to have the door and frame removed from his bedroom, again to accommodate him using his walker, as wells as having several handicap bars put up throughout the house, and a handicap ramp built so he could get into the house.

Any help that could be provided would be greatly appreciated and would make a heavy financial burden to help my son a little less taxing on me. Thank you for your time in reading about his situation and God bless.

Thank you!