Help Jeremy make his home accessible

January 28, 2022: goal reached, see update below

My name is Jeremy, and I have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It is a neuromuscular disease which results in progressive weakness throughout my whole body. I require the use of a wheelchair and 24-hour caregiver support for things such as feeding, dressing and personal hygiene.

 

Currently, my wheelchair is only usable and accessible on the main floor, but my bedroom and bathroom are both on the second floor. This means that I have to be carried around whenever I am upstairs. As you can imagine, this is incredibly straining for my caregivers and many, if not all of them, have developed chronic pain. I myself have been injured multiple times from the repetitive strain placed on my back from the constant lifting. When I am injured, the pain often lasts for weeks. In short, there is a risk of injury for myself and my caregivers on a daily basis. If a caregiver is injured and unable to work, I am forced to look for new caregivers, which in turn increases the chance of further injury during the training process.

 

Under normal circumstances, a person with my condition would use a wheelchair during all waking hours of the day and have equipment to assist in lifting. I have managed to get by up until now, but as I have become increasingly weak and fragile, this is no longer tenable. I am asking for your help to raise money so I can install an elevator to get my wheelchair upstairs and be able to use the lifting equipment to minimize injury. This would make an incredible difference to my quality of life. I hope you will consider supporting me, and I would be grateful for any amount you can contribute.