Wheelchair accessible van for Dan

As many of you know but some may not. Dan was diagnosed at age 16 with a very rare form of muscular dystrophy. Lgmd type 2b. He is one of 300 people in the US diagnosed with this form. This disease affect his arms and legs. Dans muscles are unable to produce the protein dysferilin which is used to repair the damage done to muscles after using them.  Dan has slowly become weaker over the 20 years of diagnosis. He has slowly lost the ability to do the things he loves.  He is now only able to walk about 30 ft safely and can no longer handle stair or curbs. He is the strongest person I know. I have watched him mourn the loss of his abilities, his love of playing hockey, photography, driving. He has handled it with such dignity and grace.  Recently Dan is in the process of transitioning to using a power wheelchair full time. We have planned for this day for a long time. When we bought our Honda CR-V 6 years ago we planned on using it to pull a wheelchair lift sometime in the future. Unfortunately our crv has been rerated and is now unable to handle the weight of a lift and power chair. Now Dan and I find ourselves scrambling to find the funds to purchase a new mobility van. Mobility vans are quite expensive. Not only are you paying for the van but you have to pay for $15,000 worth of modifications. From lowering the floor, raising the drivers seat, making the passenger seat removable, and adding addition shocks to support the additional weight of the chair etc.  This all adds up. But having a mobility van helps Dan to stay independent and able to participate in family activities.  Right now getting in and out of the car is a struggle and potentially a hazard.  It will make our lives so much easier if Dan can just ride up into the van. We will be selling our crv and older dodge van (which is too old to modify) to help pay for the new van.  We are just asking for help with paying for the modifications. Dan is planning on giving up his drivers license. He feels it is no longer safe for him to drive with how weak his legs have gotten. So I will be taking him to and from work as well as dr and physical therapy appointments. Dans chair comes in about 4 weeks and we are hoping to purchase a van around the same time.   We hate to ask for help but have come to the realization that it is necessary. Anything you can give would be a blessing. If you are unable to give please include us in your prayers for strength to get through these tumultuous times. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Please share!

#musculardystrophy #lgmd2b #mda