Through a Youngcare At Home Care Grant, Bill was gifted independence and mobility – a gift that has changed the life of this fiercely independent, vibrant young man!
For years Bill made do with his old faithful car that had been modified for his electric wheelchair back in the 90’s, but when it started showing signs of breaking down, Bill became desperate. Living hours out of the city is fantastic for the fresh air…but not so convenient for Bill’s frequent and vital medical appointments.
Bill was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and his care needs are very complex, so he simply cannot risk being stuck in Northam without reliable transport. It could be a matter of life or death. On top of that, Bill’s family and friends are scattered all over Western Australia, and socializing is fundamental for anyone to maintain their mental health and social connections.
Access to modified vehicles for people with disabilities is shockingly challenging. Bill’s Occupational Therapist Andrea explained that the expense to purchase a car that meets the NDIS criteria for funding for vehicle modifications to ensure the car is wheelchair accessible, was far out of reach for Bill.
“NDIS will not purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle for participants. They will help with funding the required modifications to make the car wheelchair accessible, however the car must be less than five years old, and done less than 100,000kms. Bill has never been able to work as a result of his disability and therefore it was very difficult for Bill to save enough money to purchase a suitable car that meets those requirements,” Andrea said.
While taxi services can be a reasonable solution in some locations, in Bill’s small hometown, they are few and far between.
“There are only two accessible taxis in Northam, and they are not exactly the most reliable,” Bill said.
Knowing he had no other option, Bill got to work saving and hustling for a new vehicle! He started a GoFund Me page, he reached out to his close-knit community, and he requested support from his local Lion’s Club who were also able to assist Bill to achieve this mammoth goal – he begged, borrowed, and stole until he had exhausted every option.
Andrea suggested reaching out to Youngcare to help contribute to the shortfall needed to assist with purchase of a new vehicle. When asked what they would have done if Youngcare hadn’t been able to provide the funding, both Bill and Andrea admitted they literally had no other options.
“There weren’t really any other options. We knocked on several doors and explored other ideas, but it really wasn’t looking promising until Youngcare and The Northam Lion’s Club came along.”
It’s thanks to Youngcare’s donors that Bill has been able to explore his community with safety and ease, in his beloved “BOSS MOCK”, his ‘baby’ as he affectionately refers to his new wheels. Bill would like to extend a huge thank you to each and every one of Youngcare’s incredible family of supporters.
“It changes everything. If I didn’t get this, I would have been…for lack of better words…*#&@*>?. My car was falling apart. It means everything, it really does. This car is going to last me forever, it is my baby, I love it.”
