As many of you know, or at least, have noticed, our dad is not his usual self.

What started off as back pain some time in 2023 turned into difficulty swallowing, occasional nerve/muscle spasms, falls, and extreme weight loss in a matter of months.

We were not sure what was happening, or why it was occuring so quickly but we finally got a diagnosis in the summer of 2024.

Doctors said all signs had pointed to ALS, but they were still running various tests and he was seeing many different doctors to determine the nature of his health decline.

By the end of 2024 our dad was in a wheelchair 90% of the time, with an ALS diagnosis and on permanent disability.

We are now in 2025, and the diagnosis he has makes it so that he is going to continue to lose muscle strength and will never be able to regain the strength or muscle back. Because of this, he is now losing his ability to keep his head up for long periods of time. An ALS foundation called Team Gleason was able to gift him a chair that supports his neck more comfortably, and he is much more comfortable with this wheelchair, which he is unable to really exist in the outside world without.

Our Dad has always been active, playing both baseball and basketball in his youth, even up to the time of his diagnosis (when he wasn’t working of course), so being stuck in the house and unable to go anywhere or do anything for himself has been incredibly isolating, lonely, and difficult for him.

Through this GoFundMe we are hoping to crowdsource money for an ADA accessible van so that our Dad is able to go out of the house to visit family, attend church, and ultimately be able to enjoy what time we have left with him. The wheelchair weighs around 400 pounds, cannot be folded, and is not able to fit in a normal vehicle.

While our first priority is a van that can allow him to leave the house, we are also hoping to potentially hire some care for him. Our mom is currently his primary caregiver while also working and caring for our youngest sibling, who is still in their care.

We believe that our mom and brother have been amazing with their care thus far, but they both work and do not have much medical or caretaking experience, especially for our Dad’s condition.

If we somehow had any extra funds that would go to repaying some medical bills that insurance cannot cover.

We have and are currently working towards reaching out for grants and various resources, but many of them are underfunded or they do not qualify. His insurance does not cover the things we are hoping to crowdsource here. His diagnosis is supposed to qualify him for various government health insurances, but he has not yet been able to access all that he can—especially without the ability to leave the house without his wheelchair.

We thank you in advance and I apologize to my dad for asking for help in his honor :)