Paralyzed Mom of 5 needs your help!

Do you have a moment? Well then, let me introduce you to my Baby Sister; Amanda. I think she’s great, but I’ll admit I can be a little biased. I always told her, she never learned to crawl, she went straight to running. You couldn’t keep that girl still. She was spunky, active in sports, as a player and a fan of any of her family or friends on a field, and of course the local hometown sports. A best friend anyone could ever have and has a smile that will light up even the darkest of rooms.

She is stubborn, hardheaded, and head strong. Don’t tell her she can’t do something, because she will do her darndest to prove you wrong. She will give you the shirt off her back, even if it is the last one. Always the hardest worker, first to show up and the last to leave.

At 18, she was in a serious car accident on Christmas Eve, hitting black ice and was thrown from the car. She landed on a telephone pole breaking her back leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. And you know what, the only thing that changed about that little girl I was describing is she turned into an even stronger woman, on two wheels instead of two legs. She is, has been, and always will be an inspiration to me, and pretty much anyone lucky enough to meet her. And while she did have to give up sports, she became the Momma on the side-line who claps the hardest, cheers the loudest and is usually telling people to get out of her way as she is rolling down the sideline following one of those kids to whatever goal-line they are running to.

It would not be accurate to say my sister is too proud to ask for help. It is more accurate to say she is too strong to ask for it. But I am not, so here we are.

After being told by multiple doctors that she could not have children, God blessed her with a set of twin girls. And although it would mean being a single mom, with twins, in a wheel-chair in her early twenties, she took it on the chin and said OK, we got this. Five years later she was blessed with twin boys, on the spectrum and needing special care. You couldn’t even slow her down when God blessed her another beautiful baby girl. She has managed to raise five beautiful children as a single Mom with little to no assistance.

Now, my sister certainly has learned to make every dime count. She has almost never asked her family for financial help and when she did, she always wanted to pay it back. She has since graduated her two daughters and helped one of her oldest daughters with her wedding. I say this to show that she does everything she can for her children, on her own, and works hard to provide. She does hold a part time job, only able to work the amount of hours that disability will allow. Much to my chagrin mind you due to the toll on her body getting in and out of her chair.

Life has recently handed a whole lot of curve balls financially that she was unable to prepare. She is struggling immensely to figure out a way to find the funds to cover it all and still won’t ask for help. So here I am.

Her part-time job has reduced her hours. Her car (which must be modified to accommodate her needs) is dying. Her mechanic gave it six months tops, with repairs in the thousands. So, it might make sense to get a newer used car. The home she has been living in for the past 4+ years is being put up for sale and she will have to move as she can’t afford to buy it. Everyone knows the expense of moving, and this honestly is just the tip of the ice-burg of challenges that have been put on her plate at the same time. Hard work and good financial management when you don’t have enough to be able to save for a storm, simply can’t get one through when life becomes harder than one can bear.

This influx of expenses is more than what can be handled, even with the help of family, but must be handled pretty much all at once.

So I am asking everyone, friends, family, acquaintances, and those that have had the pleasure of meeting this extraordinary Woman (or are simply moved by the situation), to help in any way they can. At this point, anything helps.

Momma Bear will do anything for her Baby Bear, and as my sister has shown through a lifetime of challenges that every dollar counts.

Thank you for anything you can do to help, it is appreciated more than you can imagine!