Help Jeff "Jelly" Larsen Drive again
Jeff Larsen, known as Jelly to his peers, is a husband, father to two boys (Lucas, 7-years and Jackson, 4-months), and a transitioning Pararescueman at the 24 STS in North Carolina. Throughout Jeff’s 18 years of service, he has completed 20 combat deployments to various countries in the Middle East and Africa.
In August of 2020, Jeff was working on his farm in North Carolina, when he fell off a bale of hay and hit his head on the barn sustaining a severe spinal cord injury. The injury left Jeff quadriplegic, unable to move or feel sensation below the shoulders. Within a matter of days, Jeff became fully dependent on his family and teammates to help with activities of daily living including getting dressed, brushing his teeth, eating and more.
Jeff has made great strides in therapy through determination and hard work to regain partial function in both his arms and hands. He can now touch his thumb and index finger to start working to pick objects up, uses his arms to support his body in seated positions and transfers, and uses adaptive tools to help with daily living activities.
While progress continues, Jeff’s independence remains limited. Currently, the family is only able to use their sedan to leave their home which requires them to leave Jeff’s power chair behind and for him to be pushed in a manual wheelchair. Jeff’s wife, Jackie, has to transfer Jeff in and out of the car with a slideboard with their two boys in tow.
Jeff and Jackie have identified their dream van, one that is both functional for their lifestyle on the farm. This van would also allow him to drive his wheelchair onto the van, eliminating the need for slideboard transfers and freeing up Jackie to help the children while traveling. Additionally, when Jeff is ready to drive again, he will be able to do so in this van, where it can convert back and forth from disabled driver to abled driver.
The Gary Sinise Foundation has purchased Jeff a Mercedes Benz Cargo Sprinter Van, however he still needs 2 sets of ADA adaptations including an Ilderton Conversion ($16,980) and an Explorer Van Company conversion ($20,790). The total needed amount is $37,770: we're shooting for $40,000 to cover the GoFundMe charges per donation