Skyler Stringer needs help getting around

Hello everyone, 

Thank you for taking the time to read about my brave son, Skyler Stringer.
Skyler has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), which is a rare and incurable muscle wasting disease most prevalent in young boys. Diagnosis generally occurs between the ages of 6 and 8. While there has been great progress in terms of advancing therapies for kids with DMD, the sad fact remains that life expectancy is limited for those with the disease. 

 

Skyler was diagnosed at the age of 6, after we noticed he was having trouble running, climbing, and generally keeping up with his peers. He is now 18 years old. 

In his short life, he has faced more challenges than any kid should experience in a lifetime

Aunti Sari and Skyler at home.

After he was diagnosed, Skyler went to elementary school, and he managed to attend the first four years of high school. He could walk without any assistance, he had friends, and he attended classes, doing many of the activities that kids his age enjoy. 

Then, just three years ago, Skyler’s beloved stepmother passed away after a short battle with colon cancer. Tragically, the following year,Skyler’s mom passed away from breast cancer. He lost both of these key women in his life within a short space of time and right before Covid. 

The pandemic led to interruptions in Skyler’s schooling, and, as a result, he started falling behind in his schoolwork, spending more and more time at home. He lost touch with his few school friends, and now he has become very isolated. 

He is on various medications and works hard at his regular physical therapy, but as a direct result of spending more time at home and being less active, over the past year he has lost the use of his legs.


Me, Skyler and my girlfriend Janie 

Skyler is now confined to a manual wheelchair full time, and although he can navigate around the house in it, he has lost any confidence to go out into the world, so he spends nearly all his time in his bedroom.
He has recently started his online schooling again with the goal of completing his grade 12 education, but it’s really tough as he has very little energy and his life has become so much more difficult since losing his mobility.

Ambleside beach with sister Jade and Milo
 

This is a critical time in Skyler’s life. I find myself driven to ensure that he can make this transition with as much support – and maintaining as much independence - as we can possibly afford him. 

That’s why I’ve decided to reach out to all of you. As they say, it takes a village.  

We have two major challenges which have led me to launch this GoFundMe campaign. 

First, we need a fully accessible bathroom for Skyler. As with any teenager, he wants privacy and for his dignity to be preserved, but unless he can use the facilities without assistance,neither of these basic needs can be met. Right now, he is unable to bathe alone and transferring him in and out of the bathtub is difficult. If he falls, as he did just last week, he cannot get up off the floor on his own, so he needs assistance. In such a tight space, it is almost impossible for me to pick him up and get him back into his chair. 

We desperately need to open up our bathroom so Sklyer can move around more easily in his wheelchair. 

Among other things, we need to remove the bathtub, knock down two small walls to create more space, and put in a wet room floor with a roll-in shower. These changes will enable Skyler to use the bathroom on his own and avoid the embarrassment of having to ask for assistance with his basic needs. 

 

Estimates for these modifications range from $24,000.00 to $40,000.00, but as is always the case with renovations, I estimate that the cost may increase closer to $50,000 once it’s all completed. 

shopping with “Grandma Barb”!

 

Our other desperate need is for a wheelchair accessible van. 

Transferring Skyler between my car and his manual wheelchair is becoming more and more difficult. His physical therapist and medical team have informed us that it is also unsafe for him to be transferred from a wheelchair to a car, as the risks of falling and injuring himself are too high. 

We need a wheelchair accessible van which he can roll right into from the rear and be secure. This would give him the ability to get out of the house more which would start to open up his world again. 

With funds raised I can hopefully generate a substantial down payment and keep my monthly lease payments within my budget.

The cost of used low mileage vans with all modifications is somewhere between $55,000.00 to $80,000.00!

We have already started making modifications to the house so that Skyler can get around with more ease, particularly in the kitchen. We just had custom sliding cabinet inserts installed in many of the lower cabinets, and the stove was replaced with one that has the controls on the front edge so that he can reach them easily from his wheelchair. These are things you don’t necessarily think of if you have not had to adapt your house for accessibility. Most older design styles didn’t take these unique needs into account. 

Skyler has a passion for cooking, and these changes have already proven significant, as he can now work in the kitchen on his meals without asking for assistance at every turn. I’ve seen an almost immediate improvement in his outlook and his attitude with just these changes. 


Skyler enjoying  his newly installed
accessible kitchen shelving 


These simple modifications alone cost nearly $8,000 - a significant cost, and one for which there were no available subsidies. 

I have also installed a series of ramps throughout the house so Sklyer can move about easily, at a cost of approximately $1500. 

I’m leaving no stone unturned in my fundraising efforts for these accessibility upgrades. In addition to my own substantial and ongoing contributions, I have received a great deal of support from family, but it is still not enough.

In the coming year, in addition to the renovation and the van, we will be looking at purchasing the following for Sky’s continued comfort and changing mobility needs:

I have applied to various government agencies for financial assistance, but many of the government and private charity sources for funding have either dried up or had their funding diverted to Covid related causes. There is little if any funding available for families like ours with kids in need of help right now.

Every teenager should have the ability to explore their world with ease and independence. That’s why I’m reaching out to youat this time. Any donation large or small that you can make to help towards our bathroom renovation or the purchase of a van would be very much appreciated as we work towards getting Skyler to a place of greater happiness. 

And please, if you can, send this on to a few good friends who may also be in a position to help. Even a small contribution would be fantastic. 

These two things would make such a huge difference to the quality of Skyler’s life. As a parent, I will do anything I can for my son, including asking everyone reading this to help me. 

Thank you.

oh...and then there this!- Skyler Dancing - Aug 2016

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