Support Nolan and the Sils Family with a Wheelchair Van

I met the Sils family last spring. They are an amazing family, and they need a wheelchair van and ramp for their youngest son, Nolan. Nolan is an incredible 6.5-year-old who loves life and his family. His smile is truly wonderful to see. When I see his smile, it brings me peace.

Please read Nolan's story written by his mom.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a mom. God has blessed me immensely with four amazing boys. Our youngest, Nolan, was born a very healthy baby boy. He was our last baby, and we were so excited to embark on the journey of an all-boy family. Around 4 months old, I became very concerned when Nolan wasn’t meeting milestones. At six months old, we were sent to a neurology clinic, and by 7 months old, we had a diagnosis: Lissencephaly. Lissencephaly simply means “smooth brain.” This comes with a host of secondary diagnoses such as Quad Spastic Cerebral Palsy, Cortical Vision Impairment, and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, which is a severe seizure disorder. These diagnoses have caused Nolan's cognitive development to stay around a 3-6 month level, which has impaired his ability to sit up, have head control, or be able to walk. All of those diagnoses are heavy, and when you google it, it will paint a picture that is not Nolan. Nolan loves life. He loves car rides; still to this day, when he is upset and crying, we put him in the van, and he instantly calms down. He loves to watch his brothers play baseball, and he’s become all the teams' “mascot.” He loves to travel; well, of course, he does because he loves a good car ride! He loves to watch his favorite show on repeat, Spirit. Nolan is a happy, smiling, sweet boy who deserves the entire world. Nolan's life, his story, has made such an impact on the people around him, and to know Nolan is to love him. People often tell us that Nolan makes them slow down, appreciate all the mundane things in life, and love more. We are starting this fundraiser in the hopes of raising money for a wheelchair van, as well as a ramp for our garage. We have put off fundraising for a few years in hopes that we wouldn’t have to, but the time has come to graciously ask for this. I was back in nursing school this last year and had to withdraw after Nolan's latest hospital stay in the PICU. I am Nolan's primary caretaker and nurse. He requires around-the-clock care. If you are familiar with wheelchair vans, then you know how expensive they are. We will be purchasing a van that is older and used. Our family does not qualify for any grants, and insurance does not cover the cost of a wheelchair van. With the cost of the wheelchair van, we also need to have our garage stairs revamped into a ramp. We have 11 steep stairs in our garage that will need to be converted into a ramp. If that is not able to happen, then we will need to ramp the outside steps coming into our house. These are the two things we will use the money raised in this fundraiser for: a wheelchair van and a ramp into the house. It’s a very humbling experience to ask others to donate money to our family; it’s one of the reasons we have put this off. Nolan is 6.5 years old, and he and his wheelchair combined are over 100 pounds. It’s very hard to do what he loves best: go on adventures. We have to load the heavy wheelchair in the back of the van and then get Nolan in his car seat, which is very difficult. Then, when we get to where we are going, we have to unload the chair, unload Nolan, and get him in his wheelchair. With the wheelchair van, we will be able to safely load him at home, roll him into the van, and out of the van when we get to where we are going. This will drastically change our family's lives for the better. We appreciate any help you are able to provide.