Wryliegh's Apartment Conversion
Donation protected
Hello, my name’s Austin. When I was 6 years old my sister, Wryliegh, was born. She suffered a stroke to her spinal cord while she was in the womb which paralyzed her from the neck down causing her to be put on life support. Doctors said her odds of surviving past two years weren’t good. After being given the options to leave her in the hospital forever, placed in a medical foster home or pull the plug on her life support, my parents decided to pull a Kobayashi Maru and bring her home to live with the family instead.
My folks did everything in their power to make sure us kids were able to live as normal a life as possible while still dealing with the logistics of having part of their home turned into a hospital wing with 24-hour nursing care and more machines and gadgets than you can imagine. While some kids were being taught to play nice with their siblings, me and my brother were being taught what to do if Wryliegh’s respirator stopped working for some reason. All that being said, we’ve lived a fairly normal life - as much as one can given the circumstances.
When Wryliegh turned eighteen my mom told her, for the first time, what the choices my parents were presented with by the doctors after her birth. Upon hearing them, Wryliegh exclaimed that she was so happy how they made the choice to bring her home and not pull the plug on her life support. When my mom asked her why, Wryliegh joyfully exclaimed that she would not have been able to enjoy her friends and her music and movies if they had decided otherwise!
Nowadays Wryliegh loves her music, being connected to everything through her phone and computer; she’s boy crazy, and she’s got sass that won’t quit. She’s your typical 21-year-old woman. And with that age has come the need to become more independent. I’m sure we can all relate to the feeling of wanting to move out and become our own person, to carve a path for ourselves in the world. That’s what Wryliegh is looking to do. Problem is she can’t just pack her bags and find a place to live. She needs a place that’s catered to her special medical needs as well as being close by so the family can still help take care of her.
My parents plan is to convert their garage into a living space for Wryliegh in the hopes of having it done by the beginning of summer 2016. It’s a big project, but it’s doable. Where we need your help is in the money side of things. It’s gonna cost a pretty penny upgrading the electrical and heating system as well as all the new plumbing for a bathroom. There’s no way we can afford all the building and remodeling expenses on our own. Any size donation will go a long way in helping Wryliegh not just get a place to live and call her own, but also help her continue to grow into the awesome independent woman she’s already becoming.
Donate now. Thanks!
My folks did everything in their power to make sure us kids were able to live as normal a life as possible while still dealing with the logistics of having part of their home turned into a hospital wing with 24-hour nursing care and more machines and gadgets than you can imagine. While some kids were being taught to play nice with their siblings, me and my brother were being taught what to do if Wryliegh’s respirator stopped working for some reason. All that being said, we’ve lived a fairly normal life - as much as one can given the circumstances.
When Wryliegh turned eighteen my mom told her, for the first time, what the choices my parents were presented with by the doctors after her birth. Upon hearing them, Wryliegh exclaimed that she was so happy how they made the choice to bring her home and not pull the plug on her life support. When my mom asked her why, Wryliegh joyfully exclaimed that she would not have been able to enjoy her friends and her music and movies if they had decided otherwise!
Nowadays Wryliegh loves her music, being connected to everything through her phone and computer; she’s boy crazy, and she’s got sass that won’t quit. She’s your typical 21-year-old woman. And with that age has come the need to become more independent. I’m sure we can all relate to the feeling of wanting to move out and become our own person, to carve a path for ourselves in the world. That’s what Wryliegh is looking to do. Problem is she can’t just pack her bags and find a place to live. She needs a place that’s catered to her special medical needs as well as being close by so the family can still help take care of her.
My parents plan is to convert their garage into a living space for Wryliegh in the hopes of having it done by the beginning of summer 2016. It’s a big project, but it’s doable. Where we need your help is in the money side of things. It’s gonna cost a pretty penny upgrading the electrical and heating system as well as all the new plumbing for a bathroom. There’s no way we can afford all the building and remodeling expenses on our own. Any size donation will go a long way in helping Wryliegh not just get a place to live and call her own, but also help her continue to grow into the awesome independent woman she’s already becoming.
Donate now. Thanks!
Organizer
Mike Hillebrecht
Organizer
Portland, OR