Keep Rollin' On- Scott Kovacs
Donation protected
When my brother, was fresh out of high school he was ripe with potential. He surrounded himself with loving friends, shredded on the guitar like Jimmy Page and had great aspirations of building a life by working with his hands. Scott set his sights on becoming a carpenter, which he wasted no time pursuing.
The then 18-year-old was on his fourth day at his new job as a carpenter apprentice. As he walked through the dimly lit construction site without being given the proper safety equipment, he was unable to see an uncovered hole that was neglectfully left and walked right overtop of it falling 21-feet into a concrete tank.
Scott broke his neck leaving him paralyzed from his chest down and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. Stripped of his independence and ability to use his hands, he is unable to do basic tasks, such as getting out of bed, brushing his teeth or pouring a cup of coffee without assistance. Sadly, also having to give up his favourite hobby – the guitar.
My brother is my best friend and it has been incredibly painful to watch the struggles he's had to endure over the past 15 years. Even though life has thrown him these obstacles, he never complains and still manages to be the fun, kind, loving brother.
This new life in his new body has not been easy for him or my family. Struggling to find his purpose in life as a quadriplegic. It has been a difficult journey over the years and has been exacerbated over the past three years. Due to complications with cysts forming within his spinal cord, Scott has undergone three major surgeries which have been unsuccessful and worsened his situation.
While he remained stuck in Ontario, I roamed the world freely and built a new life on the Canadian west coast. Even though I know his accident wasn’t my fault, I have been panged with guilt for leaving him behind and enjoying all of the experiences we were supposed to share together. Every time I discovered a new swimming hole or boated on the Pacific Ocean to an open, deserted beach I pictured Scott there, standing next to me. A flash of his reality immediately followed the thought and I’d realize that he was in a different reality and unable to share these beautiful moments with me.
In March 2018, I received a Facetime call from him. Something felt different. After that call I felt compelled to go back home and spend time with him.
I spent four months with Scott trying to show him all the wonders life holds. We went to the gym, basked in the warmth of the sun, went to a Blue Jays game and had jam sessions – he’d rip on the harmonica and I’d try to keep up on the guitar. Through a halfway side-smile, he offered me little glimmers of hope.
I returned to the coast with new focus and drive. My life’s purpose suddenly became clear – I was going to build Scott a wheelchair accessible traveling tiny home and take him on a cross-country road trip with my family.
My greatest fear is that my brother would go through life without feeling like it was worth living for. I had to show him how beautiful it can be – how it’s possible to have adventure, independence and freedom despite being in a wheelchair.
But there was an issue – I had never built anything before. After pleading with my brother to give me two years, I was accepted into carpentry school. I moved from the remote town I called home to the city and traded in my cocktail shakers for a baggy pair of Carhartt pants.
Halfway into the program, COVID-19 shut it down. Unable to wait, I dropped out of school and got a job working as a carpenter. I needed to learn as much as I could in the shortest amount of time. Scott could no longer wait.
Despite having no experience, my boss took a chance on me and has been training me every step of the way. It has been an invaluable learning experience and provided me with the tools required to see this project through.
In May 2021, I will be moving back to Ontario and dedicating a year to building this traveling tiny home for my brother. It will hopefully give him an opportunity to see outside of our hometown for the first time since his accident. Although he is no longer able to build a life by working with his hands, mine are ready and able.
It has always been my intention to see this project through on my own, but the deeper I dig into it, the more complicated and expensive it gets. There is no guidebook on how to build a wheelchair accessible tiny home for quadriplegics in power chairs and I don’t want to cut any corners.
Scott has limited space in his existing family home, which does not provide the ideal accessibility he could benefit from. I am hoping that with your help I can realize this to its full potential and make it fully accessible to Scott in a way that he has never known. Your generosity will not only help towards the overall construction of the travel tiny home, but also allow me to get all the necessary lifts and adaptive equipment needed to make this a fully accessible home for him and his power chair. This project will push Scott outside of his comfort zone and maybe even spark a fire within.
By sharing our journey over Instagram and through YouTube (will share links closer to May), I am hoping to connect with other people who may be in a situation similar to Scott’s. Progress videos documenting the steps will not only help my brother, but provide a framework for others who may want to explore the world with a wheelchair accessible tiny home of their own.
Scott’s life may not have worked out the way he wished it would, but I am hoping that this project will open his heart and re-instil him with a desire to live a more fulfilled life.
Thank you in advance for all your generosity. This project means the world to me and I am beyond grateful for those who are helping make this dream a reality.
(He didn't notice I put a flamingo on his wheelchair for a couple hours lol... he may be my best friend, but he’s still in my brother; pranks allowed)
The then 18-year-old was on his fourth day at his new job as a carpenter apprentice. As he walked through the dimly lit construction site without being given the proper safety equipment, he was unable to see an uncovered hole that was neglectfully left and walked right overtop of it falling 21-feet into a concrete tank.
Scott broke his neck leaving him paralyzed from his chest down and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. Stripped of his independence and ability to use his hands, he is unable to do basic tasks, such as getting out of bed, brushing his teeth or pouring a cup of coffee without assistance. Sadly, also having to give up his favourite hobby – the guitar.
My brother is my best friend and it has been incredibly painful to watch the struggles he's had to endure over the past 15 years. Even though life has thrown him these obstacles, he never complains and still manages to be the fun, kind, loving brother.
This new life in his new body has not been easy for him or my family. Struggling to find his purpose in life as a quadriplegic. It has been a difficult journey over the years and has been exacerbated over the past three years. Due to complications with cysts forming within his spinal cord, Scott has undergone three major surgeries which have been unsuccessful and worsened his situation.
While he remained stuck in Ontario, I roamed the world freely and built a new life on the Canadian west coast. Even though I know his accident wasn’t my fault, I have been panged with guilt for leaving him behind and enjoying all of the experiences we were supposed to share together. Every time I discovered a new swimming hole or boated on the Pacific Ocean to an open, deserted beach I pictured Scott there, standing next to me. A flash of his reality immediately followed the thought and I’d realize that he was in a different reality and unable to share these beautiful moments with me.
In March 2018, I received a Facetime call from him. Something felt different. After that call I felt compelled to go back home and spend time with him.
I spent four months with Scott trying to show him all the wonders life holds. We went to the gym, basked in the warmth of the sun, went to a Blue Jays game and had jam sessions – he’d rip on the harmonica and I’d try to keep up on the guitar. Through a halfway side-smile, he offered me little glimmers of hope.
I returned to the coast with new focus and drive. My life’s purpose suddenly became clear – I was going to build Scott a wheelchair accessible traveling tiny home and take him on a cross-country road trip with my family.
My greatest fear is that my brother would go through life without feeling like it was worth living for. I had to show him how beautiful it can be – how it’s possible to have adventure, independence and freedom despite being in a wheelchair.
But there was an issue – I had never built anything before. After pleading with my brother to give me two years, I was accepted into carpentry school. I moved from the remote town I called home to the city and traded in my cocktail shakers for a baggy pair of Carhartt pants.
Halfway into the program, COVID-19 shut it down. Unable to wait, I dropped out of school and got a job working as a carpenter. I needed to learn as much as I could in the shortest amount of time. Scott could no longer wait.
Despite having no experience, my boss took a chance on me and has been training me every step of the way. It has been an invaluable learning experience and provided me with the tools required to see this project through.
In May 2021, I will be moving back to Ontario and dedicating a year to building this traveling tiny home for my brother. It will hopefully give him an opportunity to see outside of our hometown for the first time since his accident. Although he is no longer able to build a life by working with his hands, mine are ready and able.
It has always been my intention to see this project through on my own, but the deeper I dig into it, the more complicated and expensive it gets. There is no guidebook on how to build a wheelchair accessible tiny home for quadriplegics in power chairs and I don’t want to cut any corners.
Scott has limited space in his existing family home, which does not provide the ideal accessibility he could benefit from. I am hoping that with your help I can realize this to its full potential and make it fully accessible to Scott in a way that he has never known. Your generosity will not only help towards the overall construction of the travel tiny home, but also allow me to get all the necessary lifts and adaptive equipment needed to make this a fully accessible home for him and his power chair. This project will push Scott outside of his comfort zone and maybe even spark a fire within.
By sharing our journey over Instagram and through YouTube (will share links closer to May), I am hoping to connect with other people who may be in a situation similar to Scott’s. Progress videos documenting the steps will not only help my brother, but provide a framework for others who may want to explore the world with a wheelchair accessible tiny home of their own.
Scott’s life may not have worked out the way he wished it would, but I am hoping that this project will open his heart and re-instil him with a desire to live a more fulfilled life.
Thank you in advance for all your generosity. This project means the world to me and I am beyond grateful for those who are helping make this dream a reality.
(He didn't notice I put a flamingo on his wheelchair for a couple hours lol... he may be my best friend, but he’s still in my brother; pranks allowed)
Organizer
Jackie Kovacs
Organizer
Victoria, BC