Keep Serena Cruising
Donation protected
Meet Serena. In a lot of ways, Serena is like any other twelve-year-old girl. She attends sixth grade at Mansfield Middle School and is an active member of her school and town community. She goes trick or treating with friends, to school concerts, and to holiday parades. M&M candies are her favorite. At home you can find Serena watching her favorite videos on her iPad. She loves spending time with her family, who enjoy traveling with Serena. This summer, the family visited Niagara Falls, and last year, they went to Disney World with help from the Make-a-Wish foundation. Serena and her family love making memories together.
Serena faces many challenges that her classmates do not. She has a progressive illness (neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation, NBIA), which forces her to use a wheelchair, get most of her nourishment through a G tube, speak using an assistive device, and make regular visits to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center. The progressive nature of her disease - and her growth into a young woman – has recently made her transportation in the family sedan practically impossible. The safest way for Serena to travel is seated in her wheelchair, which provides her with proper support and avoids dangerous transitions between wheelchair and car seats.
What is urgently needed for Serena is a wheelchair-accessible van. We are seeking donations of any size to support her family's purchase of one. An accessible van will allow Serena to continue to safely and reliably access treatment, be an active member in our community, and to have adventures with her family. A van that meets her current and future needs will cost between $40,000-$50,000. Your donation will make an incredible impact on Serena's health and happiness.
For inspiration, we are sharing pictures of some of the ways Serena has been cruising with a little help from her friends :). Now she needs a little more help from all of her friends far & wide. We can do this – let’s keep Serena cruising!
Serena faces many challenges that her classmates do not. She has a progressive illness (neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation, NBIA), which forces her to use a wheelchair, get most of her nourishment through a G tube, speak using an assistive device, and make regular visits to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center. The progressive nature of her disease - and her growth into a young woman – has recently made her transportation in the family sedan practically impossible. The safest way for Serena to travel is seated in her wheelchair, which provides her with proper support and avoids dangerous transitions between wheelchair and car seats.
What is urgently needed for Serena is a wheelchair-accessible van. We are seeking donations of any size to support her family's purchase of one. An accessible van will allow Serena to continue to safely and reliably access treatment, be an active member in our community, and to have adventures with her family. A van that meets her current and future needs will cost between $40,000-$50,000. Your donation will make an incredible impact on Serena's health and happiness.
For inspiration, we are sharing pictures of some of the ways Serena has been cruising with a little help from her friends :). Now she needs a little more help from all of her friends far & wide. We can do this – let’s keep Serena cruising!
Organizer and beneficiary
Ellen Tulman
Organizer
Storrs, CT
Pallas Wang
Beneficiary
