Wheelchair Van Funding: Patience and Persistence Pay Off
Posted by Megan on Monday, September 14th, 2009
Parenting is an exercise in patience.
How’s that for an understatement? I’d like to count the number of times a day I remind myself to take a deep breath or count to 10 to keep my blood pressure under control after I’ve repeated myself to my three and four-year old for the fifth time or unsuccessfully tried to wrestle my 16-month-old down for another diaper change.
The Wolff family was “all smiles” when they took possession of their new BraunAbility Entervan. They looked so happy, Sherry at Siebert Mobility just had to snap a photo of the whole gang -- Dan, Denise, Nathan and Leah Wolff.
There’s that kind of patience, and then there’s the patience that Dan and Denise Wolff exhibited as they adapted their lives to meet the needs and transportation requirements of their nine-year-old son, Nathan. When Denise was 30 weeks pregnant with Nathan, the couple’s first child, she went into premature labor. He was delivered soon afterward, and because of the pre-term birth, was born with Cerebral Palsy and suffered brain trauma.
Life changes as soon as anyone becomes a parent, but it changes immeasurably when your child has special needs. Nathan developed at a slower rate mentally and physically, and until he began using a wheelchair at the age of three, his parents typically carried their growing son in and out of vehicles. The wheelchair was easier on their backs, but loading and unloading it every time the family took a trip was time-consuming.
By this time, Nathan wasn’t the only thing that was growing - the Wolff family welcomed a healthy baby girl, Leah, when Nathan was five years old. It wasn’t long after that they decided to look into an accessible wheelchair van that would make life easier for the entire family.
They began their search at Siebert Mobility in Des Moines, where their hearts were set on a 2008 Chrysler Town and Country Entervan (equipped with dual DVDs, of course). But as they soon found out, finding the perfect wheelchair van wasn’t nearly as difficult as finding a way to pay for it.
Their search for funding assistance began at the Iowa Department of Human Services. The department offers a $6,000 home and vehicle modification waiver for individuals with serious medical conditions, like Nathan’s brain injury. Denise set forth to do the impossible - convince a government agency to pay out more than their standard amount. Her goal was to receive an exception to the waiver - to cover the entire cost of their wheelchair van’s conversion.
As anyone would guess, the task Denise had set out on was a nightmare of red tape and sloooooow responses to questions. If her application was denied, Denise asked why and applied again. She gathered countless justifications from doctors and other medical professionals. Developing a close relationship with an employee from the DHS who was willing to guide her through the process proved to be extremely helpful as well. Finally, seven months after she’d set out on her quest, she received word that her request for a waiver to cover the entire conversion cost of the Entervan had been granted.
Sherry Mattson of Siebert Mobility was with the Wolff family for every step of the way. “We worked on this for over seven months, from the time she contacted us to the time we delivered their van,” Sherry recalled. “The thing that impressed me most was the fact that Denise did not give up. I’m sure there were many days she was ready to quit, but she kept going.”
Denise felt just as strongly about Sherry and the staff at the dealership. “We received exceptional service from Scott and Sherry at Siebert Mobility,” she said. “Sherry and I were in almost daily communication with each other, and we became close friends through the process.”
So what advice does Denise have for other parents or individuals going through the same process? “Be patient. Be persistent. Even when you’re turned down, don’t give up,” said the determined mother.
“Don’t give up! There are many ways to secure funding. Ask a lot of questions. Turn to your BraunAbility dealer, support groups, and other organizations for ideas. There are many resources out there to help you.”
Her persistence has definitely paid off. The family took their first vacation in the new van this past summer - a trip to Branson, Missouri over the July 4th holiday. The improvements in the family’s day-to-day life have been huge also. For example, when she takes Nathan to school, she no longer needs to ask for help from staff members to get him in and out of their vehicle.
Sherry will always remember the day the Wolffs took possession of their new van. “They were so excited and all had huge smiles on their faces,” she remembers. “It reminds me how we as dealers of BraunAbility can change a family’s life.”
Sherry also echoes Denise’s advice to other families in search of funding: “Don’t give up! There are many ways to secure funding. Ask a lot of questions. Turn to your BraunAbility dealer, support groups, and other organizations for ideas. There are many resources out there to help you.”
The morals of this story are obvious. First of all, patience pays off. And secondly, relationships like the one that Sherry and Denise developed are priceless. The personal connection and understanding your dealer can provide are irreplaceable - and definitely not something you’d find from an on-line seller that’s hundreds of miles away!
If you’ve developed a great relationship with your BraunAbility dealer, we’d love to hear your story - just leave a comment below! And if you have advice regarding funding assistance, feel free to share some tips!
Tags: Customer Stories, dealers, funding
November 4th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
As I am sitting here this evening looking through the Braun Ability site I came across this story. And while there is a flash of hope in my thoughts it is over shadowed by reality. I have been searching for a little over a year now for some type of funding assistance for a Braun Entervan but continue to hit a brick wall.
I have two wonderful boys, 3yr. old Aidan and 14yr. old Quinton, who is my miracle boy. He, unlike the boy in this story was not born early, but late. He as well though suffered brain trauma that resulted in Cerebral Palsy among other disabilities. Quinton utilizes a Permobile power chair, and gets around in his chair with nothing stopping him or getting in his way. That is until it is time for us to travel anywhere. Whether it be to simply go to the store, travel to various doctors appointments some of which are out of state, or go to visit family, we are faced with the difficulty of getting there.
I am very fortunate that Quinton is a healthy thriving and growing teenager. But that also makes it difficult in getting him from place to place. See right now our mode of transportation is a 1993 Chevy Suburban; with a used powered hitch carrier. The carrier was originally designed for a three wheel scooter, but some people helped us out by putting a flat surface and tie down loops onto the “floor” of the lift to allow us to carry Quinton’s power chair. The first couple of months this worked. But now with the weight of his chair it is beginning to sag. Every time I go across a speed bump or a dip in the road there is a loud scraping coming from the rear of my truck.
The obvious solution would be to get a Braun Entervan. I did that once, about 6 years ago. And it was wonderful. But unfortunately Quinton became sick and had to be hospitalized for nearly 2 months out of town. And being a single Mom means your the only one there for him, and the only one to bring in any income. So once I got behind, on so much with being out of work for so long it was impossible to bounce back. I had to let the van go back to the bank.
I think that day was nearly one of the hardest ones I’ve faced. I know that sounds kind of silly. But you know it’s not really “just” a vehicle. It was so much more than that. It gave us a freedom we had never had, and a freedom we have not had since. Because of the mechanical condition of my truck right now we are unable to go out of town. Which leading up to the holidays is very hard to explain to my children. And that is not even taking into consideration taking Quinton to his out of town Doctors appointments.
I’m working towards trying to find a way to make this happen. But some days it is so hard to keep my spirits up when I am constantly faced with brick walls. I so wish there were more agencies out there that would help with things like this. If anyone out there knows of any I sure could use the help. Until then, I keep looking, and praying.
Micalyn Hines