Three and a half years ago, I learned I was pregnant with our third child. Within just a few months, I could no longer lift Elli or her chair in and out of the van safely (we were putting her in a car seat and then stowing the chair in the back of the van). In God's providence, Elli had just that year received a slot in a new waiver program that gave us a little bit of financial help making accommodations for a wheelchair. This turned out to be just enough to purchase a very inexpensive ramp (only $3,500!) into the van. The ramp is 6 feet long, and when folded up it completely blocks the door and the window on the passenger side of the van. But it allowed us to roll Elli's wheelchair into the van, anchor it to the floor, and drive with her in it. This took a tremendous physical burden off me.
Because this is a makeshift system, we've run into many challenges over the past 3 years. We've had to learn to drive the van with that huge blind spot out the side (I learned to adjust the mirrors and trust them -- they can completely eliminate the blind spot if adjusted differently). We've learned that not all handicapped parking spaces are van-accessible, especially when you need 8 feet clear to get the ramp down and the chair off of it. Sometimes we've had to double-park, or back the van out and then load or unload her in her chair because we didn't have room or someone ignorantly parked too close. We also have to remove part of her chair's push-bar to get her in and out of the van because the roof is too low.
So, we've been making a mental list of all the things we will need in our next van. But each time we look into the cost, we get sticker shock (you can add $10-12,000 to the cost of a van for the modifications needed for her) and determine that our own payed-for van will do just fine for now. By God's grace, we have focused on being content with what we have and have prayed that God would keep our van running for one more year.This past year, we looked in greater detail at the options available so we'd have some idea what we were aiming for, money-wise. With four children, all either in car seats or booster seats for another few years, the options aren't straightforward and are all expensive. We have been slowly working to get our family to a place financially where we could afford to purchase the kind of vehicle that will serve Elli into her teenage years, but we knew that it was going to take more than a year to have cash in hand and/or room in the budget for such a van payment.We had a long talk and agreed that we would change our approach to the van. Instead of praying for one more year, we decided to drive the van until it died and trust God to provide us a way to replace it whenever the time came.
Little did we know that God would provide so soon! Last month, we learned that Elli was going to receive a waiver with much more financial assistance. This would provide us with the funds to pay up to $10,000 towards equipment and modifications to a van. We would just need to pay the cost of the vehicle itself. We were both so thankful that we had practiced patience!
Then, two weeks later, they did a needs assessment of Elli. Because Elli's needs are so complex, she actually qualified for much more per year than our case worker had ever seen before. Like enough more to pay for the van and the modifications needed in full.
We will be able to choose exactly the system that will suit Elli and the rest of the family the best, without having to compromise or make do because we can't afford something!
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21)
