Keep Isaiah Moving

This is Isaiah and he likes to be on the move. His favorite question on his communication device is “Where are we going?” Isaiah is turning 11 years old soon and is growing quickly. He recently started using a wider, heavier wheelchair and continues to use a large walker. So, when he asks the question, “Where are we going?” we immediately think, “How are we getting there? How many times will we have to lift Isaiah and his equipment in and out of the van to participate in this activity? Will this be the lift that locks up my back again?” Unfortunately, the reality is that it has become very difficult to transport Isaiah which makes us answer his question with “We’re staying home today, buddy” more often than we would like. Isaiah really enjoys going out, especially to see his brother and sister’s athletic and musical events, but just this week, we were faced with deciding to keep him home from one of these events due to the difficulties of transporting him.

The video above shows the process of getting Isaiah out of the van on a good day when he is trying to cooperate. We also recorded a video of how we transfer Isaiah and his equipment into the van, but that process takes so long that we decided not to share that lengthy ordeal. In order to keep Isaiah moving, we need a van with a ramp that allows us to wheel him and his walker into the van. This ramp would alleviate the current strain of transferring him and lifting his equipment into and out of the van. While researching vans, we were surprised to find that the cost of a wheelchair accessible van is almost equal to the cost of buying two vans.

Isaiah’s new, wider wheelchair and larger walker have made it increasingly difficult for him to maneuver in our house as well. He can no longer enter his bedroom without our help. The larger walker combined with the inaccessible layout of our house means Isaiah cannot walk in our home any more. There are large sections of our house that Isaiah cannot access due to steps and narrow doorways. We’re looking to find a house within our school district that allows Isaiah the opportunity to keep moving. In the past five years, we have not been able to find accessible housing within our price range, but currently there is a home on the market that addresses many of our accessibility needs. It would take some miracles to be able to coordinate selling our current home in time and for enough to buy that one.
The cost of purchasing a more expensive, accessible home while also purchasing an accessible van, have led us to this point of asking for help.

Friends and family members who know of our current big ticket needs have encouraged us to create a GoFundMe campaign to share the opportunity to help us keep Isaiah moving. We had no idea of what amount  to set for the goal so we just chose  the remaining cost of a van. It is a high goal, but every little bit would help us greatly.

GoFundMe is a great tool that allows quick, convenient credit card donations. They do keep around 8% of the amount donated through the site to cover their administrative costs. If you would like 100% of your donation to go toward helping us, you can donate by check and send it directly to our home address. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about our van or housing needs or if you would like to learn more about what’s going on with our family. If you don't have our current contact information, you can email by clicking on the envelope next to my name. Feel free to share this campaign on Facebook and with anyone who might want to help Keep Isaiah Moving! Thank you for your support and encouragement.