A GoFundMe campaign to help an Airdrie family buy an accessible transport van for their child with Cerebral Palsy has raised nearly $58,000 of the total price tag of $108,000.
The McPhail family, including Kayla, Garvin, Bronson, Quinn and Chloe, are grateful for all the community support they’ve received.
“It’s absolutely incredible,” Kayla said. “We knew we had a great support system with family and friends, and (this GoFundMe campaign) is absolutely touching. Because people may not fully understand what we go through day to day, but they are here to support us.”
Her son Bronson, who is now six and was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy when he was two, needs all the support he can get, she said, to lead a fulfilling life despite physical challenges.
“He can’t walk,” Kayla explained. “He can’t talk. He can’t use his arms or hands to grab something. He is fully dependent on us and he needs our help every single day to help with normal everyday tasks, which to you and me are simple tasks.
“(But) he is just a happy little guy, and he knows what’s going on. Even though he can’t move his body the way the rest of us can, he just loves to be included.”
Bronson has faced severe health problems as a side effect of Cerebral Palsy this year, and has been in and out of hospital several times. He also needs to attend various medical appointments as well as physical therapy and occupational therapy appointments.
Up until now, the family has had to remove him from his wheelchair and try to strap him into regular vehicles. It is exhausting and dangerous for both Bronson and his caregivers, according to Kayla.
“We’re constantly lifting (Bronson) upstairs, carrying him to the vehicle, lifting him up into our vehicles, and making sure he is strapped into a car seat properly,” she said. “However, his (muscle tone) in his body is pretty loose, and he slides down. When he is in his wheelchair it is fully secure with a five-point harness.”
Having an accessible van would allow them to just roll Bronson’s wheelchair into the vehicle using an adjustable and attached automatic ramp. They can then simply lock his chair in and go.
“Just rolling him (on his wheelchair) into the vehicle would be so much easier and seamless,” said Kayla. “A van would be amazing for us. We can fit the whole family in there, and we know he is safe.”
However, the type of van Bronson needs has to be customized in the U.S., which adds an additional $50,000 cost on top of the price of the van itself.
Kayla confessed they did not know how they were going to be able to come up with the money until her sister-in-law Jessalyn McPhail stepped forward and started the GoFundMe campaign.
“I knew the day would come that Bronson would need an accessible vehicle,” Jessalyn said. “I didn’t know, however, how incredibly expensive an accessible vehicle would be. I wanted to help ease the financial burden of this purchase and this is where the idea of a GoFundMe got started.”
Jessalyn added, with Bronson’s parents' permission, she launched the fundraiser in honour of her nephew’s sixth birthday.
She said while the success of the campaign has greatly exceeded her expectations, she is still hopeful it will ultimately reach the lofty goal of raising an additional $75,000 toward the price of a new accessible van for Bronson.
“It's been almost a month since I started the fundraiser and I am lost for words,” she said. “I’ve finally stopped tearing up at seeing the donations come in. In the beginning, the generosity, kindness, and love shown was overwhelming. As the saying goes ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ and Bronson and his family are surrounded by one amazing village.”
“It’s a huge challenge (for us),” added Kayla, when asked about the stress her family faces on a daily basis. “Not just physically but emotionally as well. It’s definitely not the way we imagined having kids.
“It would mean the world to us to give (Bronson) a better, safer ride. It will also make life a whole lot easier on us, the family, to have this accessible vehicle.”
Those wanting to help out with the “An Accessible Ride for Bronson” campaign can donate on GoFundMe at gofundme.com/f/bronsons-bus-fund
