Debbie's Medical Funding for ALS

Debra Polzin has always been an active person. Up until a year ago, Debbie's interests ranged from hiking, traveling, and going to concerts.  She has been a Special Education teacher for 23 years. She has always been a caring and generous friend, mother, and grandmother to 3 young children. She is a survivor of stage 4 breast cancer, and she never missed a day of work even through all her chemotherapy.  She survived. Last Christmas, I bought my dad and her various hiking necessities. A month later it hit her.
She started feeling pain in her calves and it became harder to walk. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her. Months would pass, various tests would be run and my mom slowly started to lose the ability to control her body. This summer she was told she would need a wheelchair. Finally, her medical insurance agreed to provide her one after several requests. However, this is not enough.  She needs an electric wheelchair as well as an accessible van. Her insurance will not cover this. In less than a year, my mother has lost the ability to control the movement in her legs and hands. She now needs help to complete simple routine tasks like getting dressed, bathing, and now feeding herself. It has now reached the point where she can hardly speak complete sentences, and sometimes even single words. Her full-time caretaker is my dad, her husband, but they still need help. Last week she was finally diagnosed with ALS. Our worst fear was confirmed and we were told she has 3 months to 10 years to live.  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscles (muscle action we are able to control, such as those in the arms, legs, and face).
She needs an accessible van which can cost anywhere from $40,000-$80,000 and she needs it as soon as possible.  With being forced into early retirement, and my father already being retired, their means to pay for this kind of medical expense are very limited.  They are going to have to sell two of their current automobiles to help pay for the vehicle.  We are asking anyone who can find it in their hearts to assist in helping them in a very hard situation.  Her doctor has stated that her condition is advancing badly at a rapid pace, and they need help as soon as possible.