Grandparents Of Accident Disabled Granddaughter Seek Handicap Van Grant

by Susan Laubhan
(Perry, Arkansas, USA)

My name is Susan. I am 55 years old. My husband and I moved to Arkansas leaving all that we had and are raising our grandchildren, Jessie 13 years old and Starla 12 years old.

In April of 2005, 2 weeks after her 6th birthday, Starla and her brother were in a car accident with their Dad.

Jessie wasn't hurt, but Starla and her Dad were pretty badly hurt. Dad recovered quickly. Starla had a spinal cord injury and is paralyzed from the waist down. She is weak on her right side.

Her Mother abandoned her while she was in the hospital and dad was sent to prison. They were both involved in drugs.

The house we live in is a rental, and is in very poor shape. There is mold, and it is infested with mice and we hear a lot of movement in the attic, we are not quite sure what that is.

We live on $674 a month plus we get Food Stamps. I had to quit work last year. Starla was having problems with a spinal fusion she had.

They had broken and she had to go through yet another surgery to get the broken rod out. There was another surgery the first part of 2011. I had them take out all equipment in her back.

My husband went to college and got a degree in the Petroleum Industry and has not gotten a job yet.

My husband has had a few part-time jobs that didn't last long. I haven't been able to get a job yet. Starla draws a SSI check.

I would like to get a grant for a handicap van. We have a van but it is getting hard to get her in and out of it plus it is also the only car that we have.

If my husband gets a job I have no way to get Starla to appointments unless he takes off work and when he does that he loses the job.

Also the grant would help us to get a better place to live and pay up back utility bills.