Van for Keyonah
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Thank you so much for viewing our page and for considering a donation!! We appreciate all of your support! Here is a recent update to our situation that was featured in our local paper, as our van has now been totaled. Thank you for reading our story!
*********BELOIT — A freak accident has kept one power chair-bound girl mostly at home.
After Keyonah Spencer’s family 2007 Chevy Uplander minivan was struck by lightning, she has been unable to get to doctor’s appointments, church or other outings.
Keyonah is the daughter of Jenni Lunsford and stepfather Joe Lunsford and daughter of D.J. Spencer. She loves going to school, shopping and playing with family and friends. Her grandmother, D.J. Spencer’s mom Gloria Hughes, contacted the newspaper on Keyonah’s behalf.
Keyonah was five months old when she was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with respiratory distress. The disorder causes her muscles to get progressively weaker. She is unable to move or breathe on her own which means she is trached. She depends on her ventilator and other machines to keep her alive each day.
When Keyonah was diagnosed, her family was told she wouldn’t make it to her second birthday. That prognosis might have come true if the family had not placed her on a ventilator to assist her paralyzed diaphragm.
“She has well exceeded expectations and is the most resilient, strong and happy girl I know,” mom Jenni Lunsford said.
Keyonah developed scoliosis as a baby due to muscle imbalance and had to wear a back brace for a couple of years until she had her first back surgery to place rods in her spine at almost four years old.
“She has since had nine other back surgeries as she has grown, and she handles them like a champ,” mom Jenni Lunsford said.
Despite her challenges, Keyonah is social and does well academically. She was formerly a student at Robinson Elementary School before the family moved to Janesville this fall. She’s learning to use an EyeGaze device which allows her to communicate using an eye-operated computer to help her speak. Eventually, she will use the device to do her homework.
Her mother Jenni, a physical therapist, said the family needed a van five years ago when Keyonah got her first power chair. Drevdahl Auto Body donated the family its first van with a lift. It worked out until that van developed some problems. The family then saved up to get a 2007 Chevy Uplander minivan. They received some support with expenses from Central Christian Church when the van’s transmission went out.
“Duane Drevdahl and Central Christian have been very helpful and we are grateful,” Jenni Lunsford said. “It’s very hard to ask for stuff, especially after they have helped us so much.”
The family has weathered occasional transportation challenges over the years, including a time the family wanted to attend church and used a trailer and car seat to get Keyonah on the road again.
Medical appointments with multiple doctors in Madison as well as countless stays in the hospital have taken a toll on their vehicles.
The 2007 van worked relatively well for the family until a big storm a couple weeks ago.
After a thunderstorm, the van wouldn’t start. A new vehicle, owned by the overnight nurse, was also having problems following the storm. The nurse was told her vehicle needed a new computer system and the Lunsfords were told there was a hole burned through the van's modulators. The first van repair was more than $2,000 alone, with the vehicle still not functioning.
Through a GoFundMe account and their garage sales, the family has been able to raise around $2,000. However, a reliable handicapped van would cost $35,000-40,000.
Since the van went down, the only place Keyonah has been able to travel is to school. Although Keyonah needs her feeding tube changed, her family has had to cancel two doctor appointments.
With Keyonah being social, her mom said she’s having a hard time not being able to visit friends and loved ones. Her family will be planning a fundraiser garage sale soon.
Those who wish to make a donation can give to Kindness for Keyonah at the Advia Credit Union on Cranston Road. There also is a GoFundMe page titled "Van for Keyonah.”********
Original Page:
Hi, my name is Joe and I have the honor of being the step-father to an amazing, beautiful and extremely smart little girl, Keyonah. She is almost 10 years old, which is amazing in itself since her doctors gave her a life expectancy of only 2 years. At 3 months old, she was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) with Respiratory Distress. The disorder caused her muscles to progressively get weaker until she was paralyzed and eventually required her to be on a ventilator in order to breathe. She is fully dependent on machines to keep her alive and relies on others to take care of her every need.
She currently is in need of a more reliable and safer van equipped with a lift for her wheelchair. The van will allow her to make it to her numerous medical appointments, church events, school and social activities.
Since I came into her life two years ago, I have been so impressed with Keyonah's tenacity to live life to the fullest. My daughter is not one to spend her day inside, but is my little co-pilot joining me on trips to local stores, the city library or a school play. When she is not with me, she is either cooking with mom, hanging out with her older sister or keeping a close eye on her baby brother for her mother and I .
I treasure every time she joins me on our little adventures, however our current van is over 10 years old and continues to have ongoing electronical and mechanical issues. Several times we have had to cancel our trips and on one occasion she nearly missed her baptism at church due to mechanical failure with the van.
It is for these reasons that our family is hoping to raise some additional money to help purchase a new van for Keyonah.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my beautiful daughter.
*********BELOIT — A freak accident has kept one power chair-bound girl mostly at home.
After Keyonah Spencer’s family 2007 Chevy Uplander minivan was struck by lightning, she has been unable to get to doctor’s appointments, church or other outings.
Keyonah is the daughter of Jenni Lunsford and stepfather Joe Lunsford and daughter of D.J. Spencer. She loves going to school, shopping and playing with family and friends. Her grandmother, D.J. Spencer’s mom Gloria Hughes, contacted the newspaper on Keyonah’s behalf.
Keyonah was five months old when she was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with respiratory distress. The disorder causes her muscles to get progressively weaker. She is unable to move or breathe on her own which means she is trached. She depends on her ventilator and other machines to keep her alive each day.
When Keyonah was diagnosed, her family was told she wouldn’t make it to her second birthday. That prognosis might have come true if the family had not placed her on a ventilator to assist her paralyzed diaphragm.
“She has well exceeded expectations and is the most resilient, strong and happy girl I know,” mom Jenni Lunsford said.
Keyonah developed scoliosis as a baby due to muscle imbalance and had to wear a back brace for a couple of years until she had her first back surgery to place rods in her spine at almost four years old.
“She has since had nine other back surgeries as she has grown, and she handles them like a champ,” mom Jenni Lunsford said.
Despite her challenges, Keyonah is social and does well academically. She was formerly a student at Robinson Elementary School before the family moved to Janesville this fall. She’s learning to use an EyeGaze device which allows her to communicate using an eye-operated computer to help her speak. Eventually, she will use the device to do her homework.
Her mother Jenni, a physical therapist, said the family needed a van five years ago when Keyonah got her first power chair. Drevdahl Auto Body donated the family its first van with a lift. It worked out until that van developed some problems. The family then saved up to get a 2007 Chevy Uplander minivan. They received some support with expenses from Central Christian Church when the van’s transmission went out.
“Duane Drevdahl and Central Christian have been very helpful and we are grateful,” Jenni Lunsford said. “It’s very hard to ask for stuff, especially after they have helped us so much.”
The family has weathered occasional transportation challenges over the years, including a time the family wanted to attend church and used a trailer and car seat to get Keyonah on the road again.
Medical appointments with multiple doctors in Madison as well as countless stays in the hospital have taken a toll on their vehicles.
The 2007 van worked relatively well for the family until a big storm a couple weeks ago.
After a thunderstorm, the van wouldn’t start. A new vehicle, owned by the overnight nurse, was also having problems following the storm. The nurse was told her vehicle needed a new computer system and the Lunsfords were told there was a hole burned through the van's modulators. The first van repair was more than $2,000 alone, with the vehicle still not functioning.
Through a GoFundMe account and their garage sales, the family has been able to raise around $2,000. However, a reliable handicapped van would cost $35,000-40,000.
Since the van went down, the only place Keyonah has been able to travel is to school. Although Keyonah needs her feeding tube changed, her family has had to cancel two doctor appointments.
With Keyonah being social, her mom said she’s having a hard time not being able to visit friends and loved ones. Her family will be planning a fundraiser garage sale soon.
Those who wish to make a donation can give to Kindness for Keyonah at the Advia Credit Union on Cranston Road. There also is a GoFundMe page titled "Van for Keyonah.”********
Original Page:
Hi, my name is Joe and I have the honor of being the step-father to an amazing, beautiful and extremely smart little girl, Keyonah. She is almost 10 years old, which is amazing in itself since her doctors gave her a life expectancy of only 2 years. At 3 months old, she was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) with Respiratory Distress. The disorder caused her muscles to progressively get weaker until she was paralyzed and eventually required her to be on a ventilator in order to breathe. She is fully dependent on machines to keep her alive and relies on others to take care of her every need.
She currently is in need of a more reliable and safer van equipped with a lift for her wheelchair. The van will allow her to make it to her numerous medical appointments, church events, school and social activities.
Since I came into her life two years ago, I have been so impressed with Keyonah's tenacity to live life to the fullest. My daughter is not one to spend her day inside, but is my little co-pilot joining me on trips to local stores, the city library or a school play. When she is not with me, she is either cooking with mom, hanging out with her older sister or keeping a close eye on her baby brother for her mother and I .
I treasure every time she joins me on our little adventures, however our current van is over 10 years old and continues to have ongoing electronical and mechanical issues. Several times we have had to cancel our trips and on one occasion she nearly missed her baptism at church due to mechanical failure with the van.
It is for these reasons that our family is hoping to raise some additional money to help purchase a new van for Keyonah.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my beautiful daughter.
Organizer and beneficiary
Joseph Lunsford
Organizer
Beloit, WI
Jennilee Lunsford
Beneficiary