Melissa and Kids need a wheelchair accessible van

      Hello, my name is Melissa. I am a spinal cord injury survivor. I am also the proud mom of two beautiful children, LADON 11 years old and ALETHEIA seven years old.

I was paralyzed in a car accident July 21 2019. I broke my neck at C4 C5 instantly becoming a quadriplegic. At the time I was in a committed marriage with my husband, but now we are separated. Our marriage wasn’t strong enough to hold up against the mental hurdles that faced us in the months to come. As one can Imagine, navigating my life after my spinal cord injury has been quite difficult, but after 4 1/2 years and help from my family and Tennessee’s medicaid program, I have been able to care for my beautiful children the way I want and care for myself the way I want, with the help of caregivers. I am even in college thanks to Tennessee’s vocational rehab program, attending in person classes. I’ve only been able to accomplish these things because of my dedication to my children. They are my whole world. They have been my driving force. I have found the resources I needed to live life after my spinal cord injury and pursue a fulfilling future. One major thing I am lacking however, is transportation to accommodate me and my power wheelchair. Am able to utilize the bus for transportation to doctors appointments and to my school, but very little else. My two children live with me and being a quadriplegic single mom, I need transportation to my children’s school and to take them to the doctor if they are sick. These things happen without notice, and I am stuck at home while my caregivers will have to go take care of the situation while I am on FaceTime with them. Hardly the position any mother a wants to be in when she cannot be with her children when they need her. Doing anything as a family without meticulous planning well in advance and nothing happens after 4 PM is extremely heartbreaking and difficult for me because my children and I miss out on so much because of my wheelchair and my inability to simply get in a car and go. I have tried every way I could think of to get a wheelchair accessible van on my own but I do not meet the requirements the dealerships have to buy a van on my own with my thousand dollar disability check from my SSDI. My children get $18 a piece. I have looked into grants and other ways that may be helpful but I have found none that will fit my need. I am working really hard to build a better life for me and my children. I have found ways to get all of my medical needs met with hiring caregivers so I can be a good mom, and go to school. I am looking for some freedom to go along with living life paralyzed, for me and my children. vocational rehab will not help me because I am able to ride the bus to school. They tell me when I graduate and start working if the bus is not able to take me to work then they would reevaluate me then. It well be three more years until I graduate.

In 2020 I was given a wheelchair accessible van that had 500,000 miles on it. It was a 2006 Dodge grand Caravan. The kids and I were able to enjoy going out to the park and other outings together until December 8, 2021 when it had a major malfunction. My caregiver was driving. My daughter was in the middle bench seat, and I was in the back when the van started to speed uncontrollably. We ended up hitting the side of a cement truck going 45 miles an hour. My Caregiver had suffered a broken foot and ankle. my daughter hurt her chin and the back of her head, but overall was uninjured. Myself, on the other hand, suffered many broken bones, including my lumbar spine, my left humorous, both legs and ankles, four ribs, had a small brain bleed and needed four staples in my head. Because of the major disconnect in sensory, we did not realize my lumbar spine was broken until it became obviously apparent to the naked eye over the course of two months. I had to undergo another spinal surgery to stabilize L1 through L4. There is a great fear in me that that something like that could happen to us again.

    Wheelchair accessible vans are very expensive. The cost to convert a van to accommodate a motorized wheelchair can start at $30,000. So already the price of the van just to accommodate me is outrageous. Wheelchair accessible vans have to have a lowered floor, ramp, and wheelchair tie-downs built into the floor

This would be the greatest gift for me and my children. There is so much that I miss out on, watching my daughter in gymnastics, my son‘s performances in band and going to his school. Going anywhere on a holiday or a Sunday is absolutely out of the question because the bus does not run on those days. I’m unable to leave the city limits and In cases of emergency emergencies, I am stuck at home. If anyone wants to add me and the kids do their Christmas list you would really be opening up some freedom for us.

Lots of love to you from me,

Melissa Teligades.