“As I respected all of us, I also gained self-respect.”
Dani Izzie, client Ambassador
This quote is just one small piece of the powerful reflections that our client Ambassador Dani Izzie shared in celebration of Disability Pride Month.
It’s not always easy to find acceptance—whether from yourself or from the world around you—when you’re living with a life-changing disability.
With resources, support, and a feeling of belonging within a strong and proud disability community, it’s possible to nurture not just acceptance but pride.
In July, we recognized Disability Pride Month, offered a new resource to help you fill out Fund Request Forms, and shared voices of hope from our client community.
A Client Video Goes Viral
In a video that has now been seen by millions of people worldwide, our client 14-year-old Andrew Palmer couldn’t keep the emotion off his face as he realized he was sitting in a power chair instead of his old manual wheelchair.
“What these differences and challenges bring with them is our ability to see life for how precious it is.”
Andrew’s mom, Katherine Palmer
We wanted to hear more of the story behind the viral moment. Our interview with Andrew and his mom, Katherine, is a must-read.
Disability Pride Month & the ADA
July is Disability Pride Month, and July 26 also marked a notable milestone: the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“Disability is lifestyle and culture. Disability is political, universal, and human. Disability Pride is the acceptance of all of these things and more.”
Dani Izzie, client Ambassador
On our blog, we added to our annual recognition of Disability Pride Month with new insights from Dani Izzie about how feelings of vulnerability, shame, and pity gave way to pride as she connected to the larger disability community after a life-changing spinal cord injury.
The ADA can be a complicated piece of legislation to understand—but beneath the titles and subtitles, the ADA made a life-changing difference for people with disabilities.
Explore how the ADA protects your rights and how the legislation has directly impacted lives in our blog post:
Fundraising Tip: Fund Request Forms
We want to make fundraising as simple as possible, and that includes giving you the tips and tools you need to cover medical expenses and related costs as you fundraise with us.
Our latest tip video covers how to fill in a Fund Request Form with step-by-step instructions:
Share Your Story for SCI Awareness Month
September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month.
If you’ve been impacted by a spinal cord injury personally or as a family member, caregiver, or medical professional, we would love to hear from you.
Let us know if you’d like to participate, and we’ll send you questions to answer at your convenience before September. All published interviews include a link to your Help Hope Live Campaign Page for donations.
We can also use your interview to reach out to your local media and share your story in recognition of Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month.
Interested? Email us: sharehope@helphopelive.org
A Powerful Client TEDx Talk
“I discovered my passion and my purpose – a purpose I would not have had without paralysis.”
Ali Ingersoll, TEDx Talk
We were excited (but not surprised!) to hear that our client Ali Ingersoll had once again leveraged her voice and platform to advocate for the disability community—this time, in the form of a powerful TEDx Talk on turning paralysis into purpose.
Watch her TEDx Talk now, and access a recap of key points in our Latest:
Tips for Transitioning from Hospital to Home
“You’re going to make a lot of pivots. They will lead to an unexpected but fulfilling path.”
Hope Talk panelist Kelley Brooks Simoneaux, Esq.
If you haven’t had a chance to watch our Hope Talk on transitioning from the hospital to your home after a spinal cord injury, we have a summary of a few major takeaways in our Latest—plus questions to ask during the transition, a supplies checklist, and more.
Rain & Rainbows with Samantha Youmans
“If I had gone to sleep that night instead of going to the ER, I may have never woken up.”
Samantha Youmans
Sam Youmans is a dynamic and resilient Help Hope Live client who experienced not only the challenges of life with muscular dystrophy but also a near-death medical emergency—and the mobility loss that came after it.
“I grieved the loss of my health like I lost my best friend.”
Samantha Youmans
In our interview, Sam offers raw insights on her journey to get to where she is today and explains why she never stops looking for the rainbow that follows the rain.
Led by the Heart
“I was more than his caregiver. We became family.”
Tammy Weist, caregiver for Gerald Avant
“I wish more people believed in hope.”
Gerald Avant
In our interview, both Gerald and Tammy speak on what keeps them moving forward—when even physically moving forward depends on fundraising and financial help.
Two Groundbreaking Transplant Milestones
Our nonprofit has a close connection to transplant technology: our founder was a pioneering heart transplant surgeon.
He and his wife, a nurse, founded Help Hope Live to bring hope and financial help to heart transplant candidates who couldn’t afford the gift of life without assistance.
That’s why we were particularly moved by two groundbreaking milestones in transplant technology that personally impacted two Help Hope Live families this year.
“The case signifies a monumental breakthrough.”
Transplant team for Marty Kedian
In Arizona, our client Marty Kedian became one of less than five people in the United States to receive a larynx transplant.
The landmark procedure didn’t just improve his health. From breathing normally to talking to his granddaughter in own voice, the transplant restored Marty’s voice—a voice he plans to use to bring hope to the thousands of other patients living with the devastating effects of laryngeal cancer.
“I think it’s simply a miracle.”
Transplant recipient Ken Miller
In Michigan, our client Kenneth Ray Miller received a first-in-state beating-heart transplant and a kidney transplant this year.
With only 70 beating-heart transplants performed so far, this life-changing technology is a new source of hope for patients like Ken that not only increases the range of donor heart viability but also reduces the likelihood of post-transplant complications.
Hope & Pride
As we pass the midway point of another year, we look back with pride on what communities of support have made possible for thousands of Help Hope Live clients—and we look ahead to the technologies and milestones that we know will restore hope to thousands more in the not-so-distant future.
Let us know what’s bringing you hope this month and how our team can help support your fundraising goals.
With pride,
–Your Help Hope Live team
