Let's Get Sam Driving!

In 2015 my nephew, Sam, at the young age of 12, had to undergo brain surgery to remove a mass. The surgeon planned for it to be as minimally invasive as possible but due to unforeseen circumstances needed to be more aggressive. He saved his life, but as a result, my nephew lost most function on one side of his body. Over the years he has worked hard to regain what function he could, including spending endless hours with therapists after school while other kids were off playing sports or hanging out with friends. My sister and brother-in-law have equally spent their hours fighting with insurance, researching all of the latest innovations and doing everything possible to make sure their son is getting any and all the care and tools he possibly can as they know his road into adulthood will be a difficult one. It has been both a mental battle as well as a financial one.

Sam is now 16 and would love to get his driver’s license like lots of other kids his age! But unlike those kids, the costs associated with doing so are exorbitant. My family would love to take some of the financial burden off my sister’s family. Amongst other associated costs, we are hoping to raise money to help pay for specialty driving lessons, and adaptive equipment for the car.

Sam is one of the best people I know. I am so incredibly proud of him for facing his challenges head on with his head held high. He is definitely wise beyond his years and we all absolutely adore him!

Please consider donating if you could. Your help would be greatly appreciated



Below is a little more detail as to why we are doing this. This is taken from the Rally for Sam Facebook page:

"This past week we took Sam to Spaulding Rehab for a driving evaluation to ultimately see if he were someone that would be recommended for a license.  While this should have been a happy event because Sam indeed can get a license, we were once again taken aback by just how unfair and inequitable it is to be disabled in this country.  We found out that Sam will need to have a certified adaptive driving instructor, which will cost $120 per lesson, plus his drive time to bring the adaptive car to our house is over $60.  Basically, it is $200 per lesson times 12 lessons.  This didn't include his $230 evaluation to say he could get a license or the $375 evaluation to see his driving potential or the classroom or 8 hours of observing.  At the end of the day, it would be over $4,000 for my son to get his license.  We are charging ridiculous amounts of money for a disabled person to feel like they are an independent member of society.  It is no wonder many don't have a license...How can they afford it?  My son, and many others, already have to live their lives the way that they are.  They didn't ask for it, and should be treated the same as everyone else!  Something needs to be done.  This is so very disappointing!"