DA6righthand
Registered Badass
I’m in no way a freeloader, mooch, or charity case…but I’m left with no other option. Some of you reading this might know me or my story ; on January 14th, 2006 I was in a tragic accident that has forever changed my life. I was passenger in 1992 Honda Civic hatchback that rolled side-over-side 7 times. My 5th Cervical vertebrae burst fractured because of the collapsing roof. I was wearing a seat belt also. I am now a C6 Quadriplegic. I have roughly half the use of my arms (my triceps and lower wrist flexor do not work, nor do my hands). The chance of recovery is very slim. I have some feeling below my injury level and haven’t had any noticeable motor function return. As devastating as this injury has been, somehow I’ve kept my head held high and always try my best to not let my disability keep me from doing the things I love. That’s the reason I’m posting this.
When somebody gets injured as serious as I did, it has a major effect financially. People don’t realize just how hard and expensive things are for someone with a disability. My family had to purchase adaptive tools and utensils for me, a ramp had to be built so I could get in and out of our house, a handicapped van had to be bought for transportation…the list goes on and on. While I was in the Neuro ICU at University of Cincinnati, my mom and dad were off of work. Even though they were on family medical leave, bills at home piled up fast. Ever since then, bill collectors seem to call non stop during the day…my parents have both said that, “once you get behind, it will be a long time before you get caught up.” It’s a strange and humiliating feeling to have to beware of the Repo man…or siphoning gas from lawn mowers just so you could make it to work.
I’m asking for help from you because I’ve had my most passionate hobby stripped away from me. I love cars. I love driving. Period. Sitting and looking at your car and not being able to drive it is a depressing feeling. My car sees the road here and there, but I have to ride shotgun in my own car…watch everyone else drive my car. The problem with me not being able drive isn’t my disability, it’s not having the funds to purchase the necessary adaptive controls for me to drive. I’ve done my research and there’s no possible way to get hand controls covered by insurance or Medicaid. The only way to get hand controls for my 1994 Acura Integra is to pay for them outright. Insurance doesn’t see it necessary, nor does Medicaid, to get controls for my car because it’s too old, getting controls for a newer car is a different story though. Getting the controls for my Integra is purely recreational. I want to get back into the car scene and driving again. It’s been over 2 years since I’ve been behind the wheel. I have plans of auto-crossing after I have the controls for my car too.
Besides my Integra, another dilemma is my wheelchair van situation. I want so bad to be independent. I’m sick of relying on other people to take me places…it would be a dream come true to have a van that I can wheel into and drive all on my own. The van we have now is a 1994 Ford E-150. I don’t know how much longer she’ll run. The wheelchair ramp that is on it is falling apart. Sometimes the ramp wont work at all until you jiggle the switches around.
I know some people will tell me to quit whining and that I shouldn’t be asking for cash…but I’m going out on a limb here. I don’t like to do this, but it’s the only way I’ll get back on the road any time soon. If you can, please send donations to my Paypal account: holder133487@yahoo.com. Any tiny bit helps. Thank you for all of your help! Donations will be used for hand controls and other equipment needed so I can drive my car, any van repairs, other medical needs, etc.
If you have any questions at all, please ask! I’ll answer.
Thank you,
Justin Holder
When somebody gets injured as serious as I did, it has a major effect financially. People don’t realize just how hard and expensive things are for someone with a disability. My family had to purchase adaptive tools and utensils for me, a ramp had to be built so I could get in and out of our house, a handicapped van had to be bought for transportation…the list goes on and on. While I was in the Neuro ICU at University of Cincinnati, my mom and dad were off of work. Even though they were on family medical leave, bills at home piled up fast. Ever since then, bill collectors seem to call non stop during the day…my parents have both said that, “once you get behind, it will be a long time before you get caught up.” It’s a strange and humiliating feeling to have to beware of the Repo man…or siphoning gas from lawn mowers just so you could make it to work.
I’m asking for help from you because I’ve had my most passionate hobby stripped away from me. I love cars. I love driving. Period. Sitting and looking at your car and not being able to drive it is a depressing feeling. My car sees the road here and there, but I have to ride shotgun in my own car…watch everyone else drive my car. The problem with me not being able drive isn’t my disability, it’s not having the funds to purchase the necessary adaptive controls for me to drive. I’ve done my research and there’s no possible way to get hand controls covered by insurance or Medicaid. The only way to get hand controls for my 1994 Acura Integra is to pay for them outright. Insurance doesn’t see it necessary, nor does Medicaid, to get controls for my car because it’s too old, getting controls for a newer car is a different story though. Getting the controls for my Integra is purely recreational. I want to get back into the car scene and driving again. It’s been over 2 years since I’ve been behind the wheel. I have plans of auto-crossing after I have the controls for my car too.
Besides my Integra, another dilemma is my wheelchair van situation. I want so bad to be independent. I’m sick of relying on other people to take me places…it would be a dream come true to have a van that I can wheel into and drive all on my own. The van we have now is a 1994 Ford E-150. I don’t know how much longer she’ll run. The wheelchair ramp that is on it is falling apart. Sometimes the ramp wont work at all until you jiggle the switches around.
I know some people will tell me to quit whining and that I shouldn’t be asking for cash…but I’m going out on a limb here. I don’t like to do this, but it’s the only way I’ll get back on the road any time soon. If you can, please send donations to my Paypal account: holder133487@yahoo.com. Any tiny bit helps. Thank you for all of your help! Donations will be used for hand controls and other equipment needed so I can drive my car, any van repairs, other medical needs, etc.
If you have any questions at all, please ask! I’ll answer.
Thank you,
Justin Holder
