Wheelchair accessible van for Ellie

The time has finally come that we can no longer put off getting a wheelchair van for our daughter Elliana. She is a 6 year old with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a feeding tube. She uses a wheelchair to get around and as she gets bigger (and grows out of her car seat/ fights it) a wheelchair van is a must. At 16 weeks of pregnancy we found out that Ellie had a birth defect called gastroschisis and she would need surgery immediately following birth. At 32 weeks pregnant it was discovered that Ellie wasn’t moving and was oxygen deprived. An emergency c section brought her into the world 2 months early. Since then she has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which impacts how she moves and communicates but our girl loves to explore and go on adventures. She was diagnosed with epilepsy 3 years ago after a seizure that led to CPR. As she cannot safely eat enough she has a surgically placed feeding tube as well. But none of these things are who she is. Ellie is full of joy, that is contagious to all she meets. She enjoys music, dancing and meeting new people. She loves going fishing, the park and just being out in her community in general. Honestly it’s getting near impossible for us to get her out of the house with our current car and set up. She’s 50 pounds but fights like a pro wrestler. Physically it’s getting to be too much to lift her, especially in and out of the car. Which means more and more often our social butterfly is stuck at home. With all of Ellie’s needs one parent has pretty much always stayed home with her, and living off of one income makes the financial aspect of a van nearly impossible to swing. Please help us keep our girl active, get her to her necessary appointments and ensure that her disabilities don’t stand in her way of a fulfilling life. Thank you for all of the support, love and help, now and over the years.

Find us on FB to follow Ellie’s journey! Search for Victoria Stottlemyer or Adventures of Ellie