Help Me Stay Mobile

Bran Pace is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hello. My name is Bran Pace. I’m a 51-year old high school teacher living with my 2 cats in Roswell, Georgia. I am a survivor of a random violent assault with a gun in Baltimore 20 years ago, which left me paralyzed below the waist, and ended my dreams of being a professional dancer. When I was attacked, I was beginning to live the life of a dancer I had worked for since I was a child. I was performing in a new musical called Jolsen, and one night after the show ended I was mugged and shot, ending my dance career forever.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1999-10-04-9910040186-story.html

I spent 6 months in rehab, where I learned how to live independently in my new situation and even learned how to transfer myself to and from a car that was modified so I could operate it using only my hands. I returned to school so I could become a teacher. Since then, I have been as self-sufficient as anyone with a body like mine can be. But 20 years of independent living have come at an additional cost to my body. Middle age and the daily stress of repetitive motions—such as moving myself and my wheelchair into and out of my car—have left me with joints and shoulders that are sometimes simply unable to do what I need them to do.

I want to stay mobile and keep working. I love my job, and I know how important human connection is for me. Connecting to other people is what I loved about dance and it is what I love about teaching. I’m scared that if I don’t find a way to safely get myself to work, and doctors’ appointments, and the grocery store, the life that I have worked so hard to rebuild will be reduced once again, and the relationships that I have built will slowly diminish.

I hate to ask for help. I have always avoided asking for help, but I cannot avoid it any more. My Honda sedan was not designed for a person with my limited mobility. I now need a customized lift van or truck, but they cost around $60,000, and I just don’t have that much money saved, or know that I will ever be able to save it. And I need it now, before I lose my mobility.

If you could be so kind as to contribute towards my goal of $30,000, or to share this page, I would be and am truly grateful.

Love, Bran