28 Year Old Muscular Dystrophy Sufferer Seeks Grant Money For Accessible Van

by Justin
(Pennsville, NJ, USA)

I am a 28-year-old single male from Southern New Jersey. I currently live with my mother and stepfather since my father passed away from a chronic illness 3 months ago.

I'm in the process of trying to get back out into the world on my own but in order to do that I desperately need transportation for myself.

I was diagnosed with Becker Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 3. I was able to walk up until last year when I fell and injured my foot.

My disability makes my muscles unable to repair themselves fully so my muscle ends up wasting and becoming damaged.

I have tried to maintain my strength through the years but when I fell last year it became just too difficult for me to walk.

My back pain has also significantly become a problem due to scoliosis, which is common in my form of this disease.

If I need to get out of the house I have to take my manual wheelchair and be assisted by a family member.

It is also a challenge to get in and out of my parents' current vehicle. My arm strength is sub par so that also adds to the challenge as well as contributes to my back pain.

I have worked through out the years but have not been able to work since 2008.

I had to leave my previous residence because my father past away and I could not provide enough money to pay the bills on my own. I now live with family but I am not self-sufficient.

In order to help myself become self-sufficient I would like to have a van to go out to the store and get to the doctor or to school. School is very important to me at the moment so I can get better financial stability.

I have had previous jobs but I currently am not able to work. I have attempted to find work at home jobs but they are few and far between as well as very competitive in nature.

I receive SSDI of $695 per month. I did receive SSI while waiting to be put on SSDI but I do not receive that anymore.

Right now I am looking for any assistance in help with funding for an accessible van. I hope to find something that will last me a long time and provide me with the ability to get to school, doctors appointments, and/or a job.

That will help me significantly to achieve what I am not able to do right now. I currently do not have the financial capabilities for this.

At this time I do not require a business grant but in the future I would like to run my own web design / computer repair business locally. I currently want to get to school for training in web design to accomplish this.