Enola Snead's Wheelchair Van

My sister and I come from a very close loving family. My parents have been married for 40 years and my sister Enola is my greatest source of inspiration. My name is Willie Perkins and I am the younger brother to the best sister a brother could have. She is a wonderful mother of three beautiful children. She is a warm openhearted person that loves helping others. So it was natural that she pursued a degree in Special Education, so she could teach and inspire children with special needs. She was that soulful soloist at our church that everyone loved to hear. I love playing the piano for her. She’s an active member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. and has worked in Detroit public schools for many years and attended all of her children’s sporting events, academic events, and family activities.

However four years ago her life changed in a big way when she was so busy raising and supporting her children. She was diagnosed with a rare condition known as Devic's Syndrome. Devic's is an autoimmune disease that causes the breakdown of one's spinal cord and optic nerve. With similarities of Multiple Sclerosis, it is often misdiagnosed. Currently there is no cure and studies are still being made. Because of Devics she no longer has sight in her right eye and she is now wheelchair bound.  She hasn’t been able to participate in many of our family events or her children’s activities as she once did due to lack of transportation. Her diagnosis causes her to need to be transported in a van which is wheelchair accessible.

Due to her condition she’s been in a nursing home for the past 3 years until she became strong enough to come home. She sadly watches visitors come and go, listened to the things they have experienced and the exciting events they have attended. It plays a heavy toll on her mentally knowing that she can no longer provide support for her children and is not as independent as she once was. 

A wheelchair accessible van would be a great help. It will help her get back home to our family. This would help her to be an active parent as her children grow into their adult years.

Our parents have made great efforts to keep her involved in her children’s lives, but even with all that we have done it is still not enough. I have faith that God will provide all that she needs, yet we still have a need to help my sister gain her mobility and be present with our family again. Our church family and friends are trying to raise money for a transportation van and any donations would be greatly appreciated.