Beschermde donatie
Hello from Austin! My name is Dana, and I am a 41-year-old woman living my crazy yet beautiful life with SMA. I have a fire inside that makes me want to prove everyone wrong when they say I can't do something. And while this stubbornness might have gotten me into some trouble growing up and resulted in a few trips to the emergency room, all in all, I think it has served me quite well in life!
I'm hoping to use this innate fire to help me secure funding to get a new (or gently used) wheelchair accessible van. Since my old van died over a year ago, I have been without accessible transportation. In the past 6 months, I have left my apartment via a taxi for a grand total of 2 times and that was only to go to doctor appointments. Needless to say, I have a raging case of cabin fever and am feeling more and more disconnected from the world.
I recently became unemployed from my work from home job of 5 years (because they wanted my team back in the office and I didn’t have reliable transportation to do so), but even though I’ve worked most of my entire adult life, I’ve never been able to afford a new van. My vans were always purchased well used. In fact, my last van had 176,000 miles on it when I bought it. I got 8 good years out of it, but it's now beyond repair. This is why I am reaching out to all of you - my AMAZING tribe. You all have supported me in the past and hopefully are in a position to do so again... not just monetarily but also with sharing my story!
Here's my plan:
Before I lost my job, I was able to save up about $2,500 to go towards a new van. Then I will add whatever we are able to raise here to that. That might seem like a drop in the bucket because a new wheelchair accessible van runs around $35-$40,000! Most of those costs are for the modifications to make it accessible. Well, I recently learned that my insurance will pay for the modifications!!! So if I can raise enough to purchase a gently used regular ol' van, my insurance will cover the cost of making it accessible! I can use all the raised funds to put towards a better van (low mileage, no engine issues, etc) and not the extremely expensive modifications.
The only downside to my plan is that once I am able to get the van, it will still take my insurance 3-6 months (gotta love red tape) to do the modifications. This is why I'm trying to get started now. The thought of having to spend my birthday and the holidays stuck at home is not something to look forward to.
I'm so over watching life pass me by. I am missing out on all the things that make life worth living. I miss the small things like grocery shopping and running errands, but I especially miss the big things like going places with my friends and exploring the open road. I got my first taste of freedom in second grade when I received an electric wheelchair. My mom said as soon as I got home, my twin got on her bicycle and we took off for hours roaming the neighborhood. I think that was the beginning of my wanderlust soul.
I know I'm asking a lot, and it's very humbling to do so, but it's the only way that I can think of to raise this kind of money. Please help if you are able to and get me back on the road again.
I'm hoping to use this innate fire to help me secure funding to get a new (or gently used) wheelchair accessible van. Since my old van died over a year ago, I have been without accessible transportation. In the past 6 months, I have left my apartment via a taxi for a grand total of 2 times and that was only to go to doctor appointments. Needless to say, I have a raging case of cabin fever and am feeling more and more disconnected from the world.
I recently became unemployed from my work from home job of 5 years (because they wanted my team back in the office and I didn’t have reliable transportation to do so), but even though I’ve worked most of my entire adult life, I’ve never been able to afford a new van. My vans were always purchased well used. In fact, my last van had 176,000 miles on it when I bought it. I got 8 good years out of it, but it's now beyond repair. This is why I am reaching out to all of you - my AMAZING tribe. You all have supported me in the past and hopefully are in a position to do so again... not just monetarily but also with sharing my story!
Here's my plan:
Before I lost my job, I was able to save up about $2,500 to go towards a new van. Then I will add whatever we are able to raise here to that. That might seem like a drop in the bucket because a new wheelchair accessible van runs around $35-$40,000! Most of those costs are for the modifications to make it accessible. Well, I recently learned that my insurance will pay for the modifications!!! So if I can raise enough to purchase a gently used regular ol' van, my insurance will cover the cost of making it accessible! I can use all the raised funds to put towards a better van (low mileage, no engine issues, etc) and not the extremely expensive modifications.
The only downside to my plan is that once I am able to get the van, it will still take my insurance 3-6 months (gotta love red tape) to do the modifications. This is why I'm trying to get started now. The thought of having to spend my birthday and the holidays stuck at home is not something to look forward to.
I'm so over watching life pass me by. I am missing out on all the things that make life worth living. I miss the small things like grocery shopping and running errands, but I especially miss the big things like going places with my friends and exploring the open road. I got my first taste of freedom in second grade when I received an electric wheelchair. My mom said as soon as I got home, my twin got on her bicycle and we took off for hours roaming the neighborhood. I think that was the beginning of my wanderlust soul.
I know I'm asking a lot, and it's very humbling to do so, but it's the only way that I can think of to raise this kind of money. Please help if you are able to and get me back on the road again.
Organisator en begunstigde
Dana Carpenter
Organisator
Austin, TX
Mary Neighbors
Begunstigde