Support our family with disability vehicle finance

My name is Martin and I am 54 years old, living in Brisbane Australia along with my wife Sarah and my two daughters, Rebecca and Natasha. I have Spinocerebellar Ataxia - a degenerative disorder in which the signal from my brain to my muscles is gradually deteriorating. In addition, my wife - who is my main carer - also has Cerebral Palsy.

Since being diagnosed at 25y I've gradually deteriorated from walking to being in a motorised wheelchair and eventually in years to come my muscles may deteriorate further.

Where I previously only used my wheelchair outside, and walker all other times, I am now permanently wheelchair bound. I have minimal upper & lower body strength to be able to manoeuvre myself out of my chair and into the car and with my wife having stability issues she is not able to assist as much as we would like. My muscle’s skills in the last 6 months have declined to a point that my Neurologist raised concerns that if I fall it could cause a life threatening injury to myself or injure my wife if she tried to catch me - while I transfer to the car.

My physio has suggested that I purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle to stop the need to transfer between wheelchair and car and reduce the risk of falling and additional injuries. This comes at a huge cost. Because of my condition I have reduced my work hours to 12 hours a week. A Kia Carnival is approx. $55,000AUD and then the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) would provider further funds to convert the car so that my wheelchair can just be pushed straight into the vehicle.

Any funds that you can provide would be extremely appreciated and would not only reduce the risk of serious injury but provide a better life option for both myself and my family.

Thanks in advance

Martin