Smith Dorval-Fairbanks

Family and friends of Smith Dorval-Fairbanks are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness.

Smith (aka Dorval) is a fun loving and always smiling 9 year old. As many of you that have found your way to our fundraising page may already know he started out life with a bit of a rough start. At 18 months old he was abandoned at a hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti after officially being diagnosed with Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. Everyday since then with me (adoptive mom, Erin) by his side Dorval has been fighting a battle to live a life not defined by his diagnosis. This daily battle takes us all over the state of Michigan and even beyond. Dorval attends therapy sessions weekly at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation at Covenant Hospital 1.5 hours away and has numerous doctor appointments at C.S. Mott Children’s hospital nearly 2.5 hours away from our home in Northern Michigan. Dorval also loves to go on adventures in order to just feel like a kid! Some of his favorite adventures include fishing, biking, and putting his feet in any of the Great Lakes while sitting on the beach! These appointments and adventures require travel and at the rate Dorval is growing utilizing his adaptive car seat and adaptive fold down wheelchair is not practical anymore. I have been working on getting Dorval a safer way to travel for several months. The time has come that we also reach out to our friends, family, and to any one of you generous folks that have found our fundraising link. I would love to be able to provide a safe and accessible mode of transportation to celebrate Dorval turning 10 this year!

Cost and Fund Breakdown:
Insurance does not cover the cost or modification for a van as it is not considered a “medical necessity”. This has left us with the daunting task of finding ways to finance this much needed accessible van. Providing a safe and accessible way for Dorval to be transported while staying seated in his wheelchair so that he doesn’t have to be lifted in and out of his adapted car seat and transferred to his wheelchair has become a top priority for us. Over the past year and a half I have been working hard researching accessible vans, applying for assistance, and setting aside money when I can to help offset the costs. Dorval and I have visited accessible van dealerships and we have settled on a specific van!

We are hoping to purchase a 2022 Chrysler Voyager Rear Entry Van. The cost of this van will be $35,000 with the Rear Entry Conversion cost being about $25,000 bringing the grand total of this purchase to $60,000. Our current Accessible Van Fund with grants and personal savings is roughly $20,000 making our fundraising goal $40,000.

To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your support!