Help Sam Springer Secure a Wheelchair Van

Hi, I am Samuel Springer (many people just call me Sam). First, I want to say thank you to all the people who have been and still are praying for me and my recent surgery to fix my chest port for my weekly AMONDYS 45 infusions (a trial study to try and protect my muscles).

Now I’m asking for your continued prayers and help if possible raising enough money to get a new (good used) wheelchair van. Your prayers are most important so please don’t feel like you have to give money. But if you can, that would be really wonderful.

My 2008 Chrysler Town & Country wheelchair van (my and my mom's only way of transportation) was damaged structurally (including a smashed in windshield and a lot of hail damage) during the really bad storms we had in Texas in May. The most damage was to the frame of the front windshield and a lot of water damage. A good used 2012 - 2016 wheelchair van with under 100k miles is going to cost around $30-40,000. After insurance settlement (I’m hoping to get at least $7,000) and paying off the balance of $3,355.83 I still owe on my van), I’m hopeful to raise enough to get another good used wheelchair van. With your help I think I can be successful!

Here is a little more about me and my terminal disease (thankfully it is a slow progression and hopefully the weekly infusions will make its progress even slower). I am 21 years old and finishing my 2nd year at TJC (Tyler Junior College) studying computer graphics (I think I have close to a 4.0 so far). I graduated from Legacy High School with honors in 2022. I need a dependable wheelchair van to help me get to work with my mom during the week and to get to school for college. I also have to travel quite often from Tyler to Dallas for check ups and medical care. 

I found out that I was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (a degenerative muscle disease) when I was 7 years old. Before then I can still remember walking and playing with my brothers. I also remember Me Talking About My DMD When I Was Little with my older brother Noah, after I began to understand what DMD was. I was able to walk, run and pretty much do most of what my brothers and friends could do. I was just slower and began falling a lot. I stopped being able to walk when I was 11 years old and was really thankful for a good wheelchair. Our entire family had to begin making adjustments so I could get around. My room was moved downstairs, we had to get a lift to get me in the house and a really big deal was finding a wheelchair van we could afford so me and my wheelchair could fit in our family car.

Having a good wheelchair van, that doesn’t leak water when it rains and has doors that open and close well and a wheelchair ramp that always opens and closes is super important so I can get to school, to the doctors and get around to do other important and fun things….

Thanks again for any help and all your prayers! I promise to share more of my story during this GoFundMe experience and I’m really thankful for your prayers and help.

Samuel

gamer tag: PhillyDawg2023