Henry Williamson

Family and friends of Henry Curtis Williamson are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to help fund the purchase of a wheelchair accessible van.

Curtis is a 45-year-old resident of Wilcox County, Alabama. At age 13, after several years of investigation, Curtis was diagnosed with FSH Muscular Dystrophy. While there has been great research into this debilitating disease, researchers still do not have a treatment or cure. As the progression of this disease coupled with age has occurred many of the freedoms he has enjoyed are beginning to slip away and the costs of leading a semi-normal life are greatly increasing.

Whether it was earning his college degree, having a healthy career, traveling, or getting married, Curtis has excelled in defying medical and societal expectations. He greatly enjoys spending time with his family, travelling with his wife, and spending time in his hobbies of computers, woodcraft, and amateur radio. Curtis has always been a servant to his community. He currently serves on his county’s 911 Board and attends and serves at 3Circle Church, Thomasville Alabama Campus.

FSH Muscular Dystrophy causes muscle wasting and weakness in the face, shoulders and upper arms, lower back, hips, and upper legs. As the disease progresses this wasting limits the functionality of limbs. Through the years the progression of this disease has greatly decreased his ability to do many activities that most individuals take for granted. After many years of internal and external struggles Curtis lost his ability to walk. He now relies on a motorized wheelchair to get around.

Curtis is raising funds to purchase a new wheelchair accessible vehicle. This vehicle is rapidly becoming a necessity due to weakness making driving and transfers extremely difficult and dangerous. This new van will replace his current one that has high mileage and lacks the necessary safety features. His current van has had several mechanical issues leading Curtis to be unable to leave his home until repairs were made. Vans require extreme modifications to be both accessible and meet current safety standards. These modifications can increase the price of a standard vehicle by over double, putting them in a price range in excess of $70,000.

Curtis hopes that this new van will give him back some of the freedoms he previously enjoyed. He looks forward to being able to return to traveling without the stress of having to transfer and worrying about the operational capability of his vehicle. It is our hope that the new van will improve his overall quality of life and allow him to experience many new adventures.

Please donate to Help Hope Live in Curtis’ honor today, and ask your friends and family to give, too! We would love to plan some fundraisers in Curtis’ honor, too, so if you can help with that, please contact his wife at [email protected]. Thank you for your generous support.

Curtis has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.