Erin's Ride

Erin Lynn Carcone was born a healthy baby girl but at the age of six months we started to notice she wasn't sitting up properly, so we took her to see a pediatrician and she said Erin was very week and that we should take her to see a neurologist. By then Erin was a year old and still not walking, we went for tests but nothing was found. Erin gradually started holding on to furniture while walking to help keep herself balanced. Erin walked for about six months to a year at the age of two, always with some support. At the age of two and a half she got very sick and ended up at Sick Kids hospital. She was kept for a week for testing. The doctor's results were a possible diagnosis of a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Erin ended up in a wheelchair by the age of three; it was a very hard day when they brought her wheel chair through the front door. It was shortly after this I was forced to quit my full time job after twenty years and step down to part time due to Erin's medical needs and appointments. Erin also has respiratory issues and requires a bi-pap machine nightly. Due to her recent spinal fusion surgery she is no longer able to bend over ninety degrees so we cannot safely transport her in and out of her current car seat. It is becoming quite difficult to lift her wheelchair into our van as well. Our current van is a 2004 Dodge Caravan and is too old to be retrofitted and we will need to purchase a new wheelchair van. A wheelchair van can cost anywhere between $35,000 and $45,000, any help would be greatly appreciated.