Please Help Our Family buy Kayla a Handicap Van

Hi friends – I’m reaching out to our community for help in supporting my daughter Kayla’s special needs and her new handicap-accessible van.

Kayla, or as we like to call her Kay, is a beautiful twenty-nine-year-old woman from Rhode Island who has touched so many people with her smile and contagiously happy personality. Those who are lucky enough to truly know her, know that she has taught us how to be appreciative of everything in our lives.

Kayla was born prematurely at 33 weeks via an emergency c section, along with her twin sister Stephanie. While Stephanie didn’t suffer any complications except being a little early, Kayla was deprived of oxygen. She suffered an anoxic brain injury which led to her diagnosis of Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy and a seizure disorder. As a result, Kayla requires the use of a wheelchair and is dependent on others for all of her care; eating, dressing, toileting, bathing, etc. She is non-verbal, but she uses some signs to communicate and can make choices for herself when given the opportunity.

In July of 2021, Kayla suffered a significant medical event where she spent two weeks in Intensive Care. In September, she was re-hospitalized due to lingering complications. Kay has spent the better part of this year recovering from that event and spent a significant amount of time visiting and revisiting multiple Doctors. In addition to these events, most recently, she received a diagnosis of Osteoporosis which puts her at increased risk of bone fractures.

As a result, we need a reliable handicap-accessible van to transport Kayla to her many appointments safely. As of right now, I have to use my SUV – which requires me to lift and transfer Kayla from her wheelchair to the car. It’s not safe for her anymore – and it’s harsh on me as well.

The use of this van will not only help us return Kayla to the community and to her many appointments, but it will also be a safer option as we won’t have to lift and transfer her as frequently.

We are lucky to have family and friends that support us at every turn, and I’m grateful beyond words for that. Without them, I don’t think we would have made it this far. Asking for help is hard -- but at times, it’s very necessary. New vans average a cost of $75,000 to $80,000. Vans only a few years old can average very close to that as well.

I work in Healthcare as an Occupational Therapy Assistant – but as a single Mom and sole caregiver, expenses are extremely high. Thank you for considering contributing to Kayla’s new van and for reading her story. We are so thankful for the support.