After we got the chance to connect with our client Jamie Carlson in-person at Abilities Expo Dallas in December 2024, we asked if she’d be willing to tell us a little more about her fundraising campaign with us and how she quilts for a cause while living with cerebral palsy.
Dealing with Changing Mobility Needs
I have known my whole life that I’d eventually need to use a wheelchair full time. I had been fighting to walk and keep walking—but the pain I felt and the number of times I’d fall in a day were not okay.
In a way, I felt like I failed when I had to start using a wheelchair full time…
However, because I’ve been disabled my whole life, I feel like it’s easier for me than for most people to figure out a way to accommodate any situation from a wheelchair.
How I Become the “Cerebral Palsy Quilter”
I started quilting when I first became a full-time wheelchair user. I fell in love with the colors and patterns, and it helped to keep my mind off mental and physical pain.
People from all over the US contact me to quilt for them—most of them learn about me from TikTok.
I work part time at Home Depot, but I am on leave until this summer, so in the meantime, I am home and quilting.
Quilting is one of the ways I fundraise. I wake up every day and go to my quilting and sewing room. I can get about one quilt completed per day depending on the size of the quilt.
Why I Started Fundraising with Help Hope Live
I came to Help Hope Live in December 2023 after learning about the nonprofit via an Abilities Expo event. Help Hope Live was able to help get my wheelchair wheels replaced through fundraising when an accident happened with Amtrak.
As a result, I could use my chair again and get back to work. It was great.
The response to the fundraising campaign—including support from quilters via TikTok and my family and friends—has been so wonderful.
We’ve raised over $19,000 over the past year. I never thought this would happen!
My advice for anyone else who starts fundraising with Help Hope Live: fundraising takes time, but if you work on your fundraising a little every day and set goals, you can achieve them.
I connected with Kelly L Green, Help Hope Live’s Executive Director, at Abilities Expo Dallas. It was great to talk to her about how far I have come in my fundraising this year. Kelly was very nice and gave good advice—that’s another reason why I picked Help Hope Live.
Why I Still Need to Fundraise
I am continuing to fundraise with Help Hope Live because, as of right now, I can’t go anywhere unless I wheel around town in my wheelchair.
I used to have to take apart my wheelchair into five different pieces to get into the driver’s seat of my car, but the car I had was 22 years old and broke down in June 2024. It’s difficult or impossible to get a ride from Uber or Lyft as a wheelchair user.
My town doesn’t have sidewalks except in a few places, so I have to try to go out only during the day to avoid getting hit by a car.
Having a wheelchair accessible van will make it possible for me to go back to work, to doctor appointments, and to visit family and friends—or even just get to the grocery store.
One thing I wish I could change is accessibility. Disabled people like me just want to live their lives.
We want to be able to go out, do new things, and learn new things—but it feels like only 20% of our world is accessible.
This year, I will continue quilting for a wheelchair van. I will finish a quilt every day if it gets me to my goal.
I look forward to going back to work—I enjoy watering all the flowers and plants at work in the summer. They are all so beautiful.
Keep up with the fundraising campaign in Jamie’s honor here at helphopelive.org, and follow Jamie’s quilting on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
