Mobility for Micah!

Joanne Schmidt is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Tara Nolan.

Donation protected

My colleague, Tara, is the Mom to 7-year-old daughter, Micah. Micah has Cerebral Palsy and a number of health-related challenges, including Epilepsy. She is presently nonverbal and is not yet able to walk.

During a recent Zoom session with Tara, she was apologizing for being a few minutes late to our meeting. She went on to explain that she had picked her daughter, Micah up early from school and that the school was just dropping off her daughter’s wheelchair. I at the time being a bit naïve just thought that odd.

I soon learned that Tara doesn’t have a vehicle to transport Micah in that is wheelchair accessible. When Tara has to pick up Micah from school early for a medical or other appointment, she literally carries her to the car and leaves the wheelchair at school.

The wheelchair makes its way home by the accessible bus whose driver then drops it at Tara’s door. Micah weighs just 44 pounds but, because she can’t distribute her weight, it’s more like carrying a 100-pound child.

I was shocked to learn that medical insurance does not help parents with the cost of a wheelchair accessible vehicle or for that matter the cost to replace an adaptive stroller except for every few years even if the child has outgrown the stroller.

When Tara speaks of Micah, she says:

"I am her voice. I am her legs. Micah is the smartest, strongest, hardest working little human I know. There are no magical surgeries for her. It is ALL work: PT, OT, Speech, Vision, Hippotherapy, Aqua therapy, etc. it took her 2 years to hold her head up. She works extremely hard and she’s made me incredibly proud of all of her “inch-stones.”

She’s helped me to put into perspective all of the things I once took for granted: walking, talking, eating/swallowing, the ability to get up and walk out of a room if the company became toxic, etc. I honestly believe Micah has taught me more than I’ve taught her. If you were to ever meet her, she would snuggle you: burrow her face into your neck, wrap an arm around your back and try to give you Chest PT! She is the sweetest – only wanting to give love and receive love. She melts my heart. She is wise, intuitive and accepting of everyone. There is no Stranger Danger with my Mighty Micah."

Tara takes Micah adaptive skiing, kayaking and cycling. She is also on a Special Hockey team called The New England Bombers. She loves cold weather and is an adrenaline junky. They love getting outside to go for walks in their neighborhood as well as their local rail trails.

Another quote by Tara:

"Micah is a blessing and I’m grateful I was chosen to be her Mom. I love her beyond measure. I will move Heaven and Earth to provide her with a decent quality of life. I am grateful for every memory we make together, especially being outside exploring nature!"

The challenge Tara and Micah currently face is transportation. Micah is outgrowing her adaptive stroller which folds down into Tara's SUV. Unfortunately, Micah's wheelchair does not fold down. They will require a wheelchair accessible van in the near future. Wheelchair accessible vehicles are rather expensive as they are not built from scratch. One has to buy a van, remove the unnecessary options and retro-fit the needed features: ramp, tie-downs, etc. The supply chain issues with the chips has caused significant challenges with inventory as well as pricing. The joys of supply and demand.

It is tough for Tara to ask for help, especially with financial resources. She realizes she has to make an exception for this critical need.

After hearing about Micah and her plight, I decided to launch this GoFundMe page! Hoping every parent and friend of mine who loves their child beyond measure will give just a little to help Micah and Tara. #Mobility4Micah

We thank you in advance for your generosity in helping Tara and Micah access the appropriate transportation to get out and experience life together!