June 2, 2021

Dear friends - it's been such a long time since we posted an update. How does the time slip away so much?

Looking over the list of friends, family and even strangers - wow. I remain overwhelmed with your generosity, love and care. You deserve an update and this is long overdue!!

Where to start? We moved into our new house in January of 2020. Just a few weeks later, the pandemic had us hunkered down. We spent our time settling in and remodeling her space for more accessibility. We removed carpet, widened doors, and converted a standard bathroom into an accessible wet room (it's pretty swank, actually.) Samantha took her first shower in more than a YEAR about this time last year.

With nothing to do, extra isolation, and practically no career options, Samantha returned to her love of watercolor. Before the accident, painting with watercolor was one of her favorite past-times. She had several works in progress at the time of the crash and losing her hands meant the loss of her art which added extra sadness to everything lost. But, not so! YOU SHOULD SEE THIS GIRL PAINT!!

Samantha strapped a paintbrush to her hand and over the past 6-7 months flat out CONQUERED her painting limitations. And watercolor is a tough medium to start with! Personally, I think she's a better painter now than before the accident - and with no use of her hands. Amazing.

Here's a short video: www.tiktok.com

She's gotten even better since that time.

I know you'll want to see her art and we're planning a show for the Fall! I don't know all the details yet, but it will likely be an online show and auction. We will share more details as we have them.

The biggest challenge that remains for Samantha is transportation. During Covid, it wasn’t such a big deal because everything was shut down and no one was going anywhere. The State cut funding and availability of van services for the disabled during the pandemic - so she was even more isolated with no rides ANYWHERE for the past year. We did rent a van a few times, but it’s pretty cost-prohibitive to do on a regular basis.

Now that things are opening up (but the State hasn’t restored van services yet) it is time to invest in a her own van. We’ve made the decision to move forward and we're test-driving one today!

Samantha has saved a large percentage of your generous donations specifically for this need and you've helped so much with the down payment. She will then use a portion of her disability checks to contribute toward the monthly payments. Allen and I will carry the remaining debt for her until the van is paid off. We believe this is the best decision for all our mental health and well-being.

If you would like to help Samantha with a bigger down payment or the monthly payments, please visit helphopelive.org And remember - your donation is tax deductible and HelpHopeLive qualifies as a charity if your employer does matching.

We hope that with this purchase, Samantha can regain more independence (yes! She can learn to DRIVE … it takes years, but yes.) She can enjoy going out with friends, shopping, restaurants and maybe even travel. We’re excited.

Thank you very much for being in our lives, for caring, prayer-ing, and sharing your finances.

On behalf of our daughter and entire family,

Cathy

November 25, 2019

Hi Everyone! Here's an update from the mom.

It's almost Thanksgiving - which also happens to be Samantha's birthday. (She's always hated sharing her birthday with the turkeys.) Nine months ago, Samantha's accident changed the direction of our lives. At 28, Samantha began her life as a quadriplegic. Allen and I gave up the freedom of our empty nest, sold our house, moved to an apartment to begin life together in this new normal.

The new normal means Samantha can do very little for herself including the simplest acts ... like pulling a blanket over your shoulders, fluffing a pillow, or opening a door. Consequently, she needs 4-6 hours of care daily. We've been paying out of pocket for in home care - as well as taking on hours of duties daily - while we waited for social services to come through with the 80 hours of help she's entitled to monthly. It's only been in the past 2 weeks that we've started to receive some of this care. Still, caretakers regularly quit or don't show up. If Samantha lived on her own - like many quads - she would be stranded in bed, alone, with no food or care for the day.

Naturally, we are family. Allen and I want the best for all our children - even if they're adults. We would never want Samantha to live in a nursing home at 28 - or to struggle on her own this early in her injury. So, we've made the sacrifices necessary for our little tribe. While I'm brokenhearted for my first child, her lost future and to be honest... for my own lost future of "golden years" that will never come ... we have much to be thankful for.

We're thankful that Samantha's accident didn't claim her life. It's a dark question, but it's there. Would she... or we... have preferred for it all to end ten months ago? Resoundingly NO. The paralyzed life is the harder path - and she's so brave to take it on. As her caretakers, Allen and I are called on to lay down our lives daily. It isn't always easy... but it's always what we emphatically choose.

We're thankful for a loving HOME. Yes, we had to sell our HOUSE (ughhh... the one we just remodeled). But, the fact is we DID sell it. And we moved to an apartment which has served our needs as we groped our way in the early days of wheelchair life. The house, the stuff in storage, the apartment... these are just THINGS. What really matters is each other and that's what we bring to our HOME. Soon, we hope to land in a new HOUSE large enough for multiple adults to live and love even more comfortably. At the time of this writing, we have a house under contract and hope to close before Christmas.

We're thankful for friends, family and supporters. You have no idea. The outpouring of love and care has been overwhelming. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it... overwhelming is the only word I have. People have given money. Lots of it. People have visited and given their time. I have a 20 something niece who regularly drives from Raleigh to stay with Samantha and give "Aunt Cathy and Uncle Allen" a break. Wow. Would I have done that at 23? (Doubtful)

Yes. Very thankful indeed. I can't even begin to count our blessings - even in the face of our challenges and hardships.

Friends - we walk this journey every day. If you'd like to continue supporting us, we'd be most grateful.

We've joined Help Hope Live so you can adopt Samantha as your official charity with all the benefits of tax-deductible donations. Simply donate in Samantha's honor. We receive the funds when we make a request for items related to her care - that must be approved by the organization. So, you know your monies will be put to the very best use for her care. Her financial needs will continue until the day science can repair a spinal cord.

I love you all - and if you ever have any questions about Samantha, Allen or me... don't hesitate to ask.