Gary Cobb

Hello, my name is Gary and I’m fundraising because we require a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. Our current vehicle is a 2004 and the ramp does not operate automatically so my wife, also disabled, has to operate it manually and struggles gratefully and painfully to do so. And I cannot reach the ramp from my chair to operate it. It is difficult to get around to doctor visits, rehab sessions, or anyplace else…and relying on transport services is shoddy, at best.

On January 28, 2020, I broke my shoulder; that same day my wife had diabetic and blood pressure seizures, both of which started our down-hill health spiral. In late-summer and again in the fall I was hospitalized for sepsis in both legs and came close to losing my life both times (doctors stated I was fortunate to still be around). On January 20, 2021, I had my right leg amputated due to having diabetic neuropathy and severe sepsis. During the operation, I suffered a stroke which almost ended my life again (doctors called my family in because they didn’t know what was going on and didn’t believe I would survive)…I was unconscious for three days. During recovery, I suffered another stroke. Over the next several months I suffered numerous seizures which the doctors have yet to determine what had caused them. On June 6, 2022, I again about lost my life due to an aneurysm. All of this has left me wheelchair-bound, making it difficult to get around. My wife was recently determined to be disabled stemming from a drunk driver having hit her head-on a number of years ago. So, as you can see, we require a vehicle we can get around in…one that doesn’t kill her to operate the ramp for me to be able to get in and out of (or one that I can operate the ramp myself…I cannot drive, however).

Now, the ‘kneeling’ function (what makes the van raise and lower so the ramp isn’t too steep and the van sits higher while driving) does not operate properly and on Wednesday, June 14th while exiting the van with the ramp being too steep due to the kneeling function not functioning, I rolled the 250+lb powerchair face-first into the pavement with the chair landing on top of me, pinning me down.

We are in real need of getting a new(er) wheelchair-accessible vehicle soon, so I am able to continue my therapy, get to doctor’s appointments, and even just to get out and about. This current van is becoming more and more of a liability than an asset and could endanger my (our) life.

“Mobility is a right, not a privilege”

Thank you for any and all assistance that is given, it is greatly appreciated and be assured the best vehicle for the money will be sought out.