A wheelchair-accessible van can beyond reach for many families due to the high cost. | PxHere.com
A wheelchair-accessible van can beyond reach for many families due to the high cost. | PxHere.com
Parents will typically do everything they can to help their children get through life’s challenges, and Monroe father Israel Martinez is no exception.
Caring for his wheelchair-bound daughter, though, is a struggle that has just gotten a little easier now that All Things Possible Medical Fundraising has given the family a modified van to help the parents transport 20-year-old Dianelys Martinez.
“From the bottom of our hearts, we thank everybody,” Israel Martinez told Queen City News. “Now we don’t have to struggle so hard. God bless.”
All Things Possible delivered the gift on New Year’s Eve. The agency is a nonprofit group that serves those in need of assistance in the Charlotte area.
Dianelys Martinez was diagnosed with Rett syndrome and scoliosis when she was 5 years old. She can’t walk or talk, and her family is responsible for helping her with everything from basic care to transportation.
The new van, which was beyond the family’s financial means, will help them transport her to medical care and elsewhere.
Wheelchair-accessible vans are very expensive, and finding an affordable one can be a challenge for any family. But All Things Possible started a special fundraising campaign, and the community came through as the agency sought out a van.
“Vans cost more than they ever did before, and they’re harder to find," All Things Possible Executive Director Lisa Sexton told Queen City News.
But the high cost hasn’t stopped the agency from trying. Over the years, it has presented seven such vans to families in need, and Sexton said it will continue to do so as much as possible in the future.
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