Samuel Paschal

Help Sam Maintain His Freedom!

Sam is a young man who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Duchenne is a progressive muscle wasting disorder that affects mainly boys (1 in 5000 male births) with no cure. In order for him to go to medical appointments and participate in the community, he needs a dependable wheelchair accessible van.

Sam became wheelchair-dependent when he was 11-years-old. Since then, we have struggled with transportation. Wheelchair accessible vans can cost upwards of $70k if brand new, $40k for a good, low-ish, mileage one. Our current van, a vehicle that was converted after it was salvaged, has not aged well. As of this writing, the sliding door on the ramp side won’t even open most of the time. This has caused Sam to be stranded inside the van while I repeatedly tried to get it to open. It also doesn’t close completely. The air conditioner is also going out, the windshield is horribly cracked, and the paint is pealing off all over – leaving the body to rust. I’m constantly worried something else is going to break down and leave us stranded. Because of all the issues with his current van, we’ve determined that it’s best to replace it with something a little newer and more reliable. Unfortunately, insurance does not help with this cost.

Sam has dreams of being a productive member of society and is currently studying to become a computer programmer. With your TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation, you can help Sam maintain his mobility and freedom.