Lets make living with Autism easier

First off, I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to visit this page and possibly helping us reach our GoFund Me goal.  I am asking for help to raise funds for a used (but reliable) vehicle to help my autistic son Keegan.



Keegan was diagnosed with high functioning autism a couple years ago, he is a very bright and caring little boy who has already overcame some pretty bad situations. In 2013 Keegan witnessed his biological father (my now ex-husband) assault me which almost resulted in my death. He saw that one person’s actions affect the lives of others and that the actions his biological father resulted in our family being split up to keep Keegan and myself safe. His biological father is no longer in our lives and Keegan has flourished in the positive home environment I've made even though it means that I am now a stay at home mom who has PWD (persons with disabilities) status with the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation (meaning we're very low income). The years to follow would be better for Keegan; however last October (Oct. 5th, 2016) he saw me get hit by a car in a hit and run situation. We were crossing the street at an intersection, even though we had the right of way and cross walk signal said we could cross a driver decided the need to get somewhere was more important than Keegan and my own safety. I pushed Keegan out of the way so he wasn't the one hit however I was clipped; this resulted in Keegan having a sensory melt down and yet again fears that I would be dead. He now shows anxiety when crossing streets or walking on sidewalks, he gets scared when trucks / loud vehicles go by us and will squeeze my hand / arm. From this situation he now has separation anxiety at school, I've been told multiple times by his EA's that he is constantly concerned that I won't make it home safe without him which results in the school letting him call me to hear that I'm ok so he can go back to try and focus on his school work /activities. Before the hit and run MVA (motor vehicle accident) Keegan use to look forward to school, seeing his friends, doing science experiments and playing in the computer lab.



I am hoping that by having this GoFund Me we can speed up the process to getting a used (but reliable) vehicle to help Keegan flourish once again. Not only with his therapy appointments / medical appointments but with school and the social aspects of his life.
 


When I was married we had a vehicle (it was under Keegan's biological fathers name and when we divorced he sold it). Keegan loved going on nature walks, special events (mostly train or animal related), camping and going on other random adventures that little did he know were educational all while being fun. Since 2013 Keegan and I have had to rely on family/friends (mostly my parents) for help, however since they work we can only get transportation help on weekends which means that during the week Keegan and I take public transit. This is very difficult for Keegan (and on him) since he gets overstimulated by the sounds/smells on public transit. Since we have no other option and are stuck to rely on public transit Keegan regularly shows up to appointments physically tired from being overstimulated, can’t focus at the tasks that need to be done and has mood issues/out bursts. If this wasn’t an issue in itself he has also missed out on school field trips, birthday parties, specialized events (like the ones held by the Canucks Autism Network and Pacific Autism Family Network) and even after school programs such as soccer, swimming lessons, gymnastics..etc.

I know that asking for help with a vehicle is a lot to ask for but hopefully our GoFund Me goal can be reached so Keegan can feel like a “normal” kid and partake in things that he shows interests in.



I've contacted every children's charity, autism support group/organization/charity, Justin Trudeau /my city mayor / city counsel / other branches of the government, every local vehicle dealership and big name companies...etc all to be told "We're sorry to hear about you and Keegan story but at this time there is nothing we can do to help" . Charities (like Variety, United Way, Presidents Choice Children's Charity..etc) say "Funding is limited" or " We don't help with transportation have you tried contacting local companies". Meanwhile those companies reply with "Sorry we don't help individuals only charities , have you tried them?". I have even applied for disability grants, low income grants and children's with disability grants all to be told they can't help with transportation either. I know what I am asking for is a lot but please surely together this GoFund Me goal can be reached.

Thank you for your time and consideration when it comes to helping Keegan



Breakdown of this GoFund Me Goal:

To raise funds for a used (but reliable) vehicle

- preferably a SUV style, something that's easier to go camping with than a car 




Here are even more reasons why having a vehicle would be so beneficial for Keegan:



- Keegan doesn’t have to be out in the horrible weather when we have to walk to/from school, going to and from appointments/therapy or have errands to run, which would also result in him getting sick a lot less.



- Can make it to all appointments, activities...etc on time since public transit often runs late even if we are at the stop well before it is scheduled to show up.



- Keegan could attend all school field trips and have the extra attention he needs (he bolts /wanders off) since I would be able to volunteer.



- Spend more time doing activities with family / friends, since we sometimes can’t get rides to certain events (eg. classmates / friends birthday parties).



- Keegan could be part of the Canucks Autism Network and attend other events so he can be around other children his age who also have autism resulting in him not feeling so alone. This also gives him the chance to make some new friends.



- Keegan would miss less school since I often have to take him out of class early to make therapy appointments on time due to transit schedules. If appointments are in the late afternoon Keegan is to over stimulated from school to properly partake in his appointments. For example every Wednesday Keegan has speech therapy (it's less than a 15minute drive from where we live as well as his school to where he goes for speech therapy) and even though it doesn’t start until 1pm he has to be picked up from school a little before noon so we can make it to the bus stop on time and hope that the bus is actually running on time so we're not late (we're often late because the bus doesn't show up when it should). This means Keegan not only misses a half day of school on Wednesdays but he also has a very late lunch which affects how he behaves in the afternoon.



- I would be able to bring him camping which is great not only for him to be outdoors but it also gives him a chance to unplug from all the technology in his life.



- He could be put into an after school program like soccer, gymnastics, swimming lessons…etc which means he would be more active and has an extra chance to be social with other children.



- Since we aren’t allowed pets where we live we could go back to volunteering at the local SPCA so Keegan can be around animals which he really enjoys. It also helps him find a sense of responsibility with being able to help walk / play with the dogs waiting to get adopted.



The list could easily go on and on but in short having a family vehicle really would be life changing for him.