Nic Brown and his mother, Katherine Ball, have a new set of wheels. Nic and Katherine are over the moon in love with the van and are eternally grateful for the hundreds of people that donated to their cause.
“We love all of you and appreciate your kindness,” Katherine wrote on her Facebook page. They’ve already taken a little road trip to Los Angeles. They were there for the Abilities Expo on Santa Monica Pier. There they met two other families who had a child with myotubular myopathy (MTM) – a condition Nic has had since birth. They also ate at Bubba Gump’s and visited the Griffin Park Observatory. “We had a great time,” Katherine said.
It’s a 2013 Silver Topaz Honda Odyssey Touring van, with a loading ramp and removable front seat. Nic can wheel in park his wheelchair next to the drivers seat, and take charge of most of the cars devices. He can open the sunroof, the windows and doors and play the DVD without assistance. The van also has a cool console area and outlets for his video games and medical equipment.
As an extra measure of safety, Nic’s mother had locks installed to secure Nic’s wheelchair and got an extended warranty for 84 months or 100,000 miles that includes handicapped roadside assistance.
Katherine watches as Nic guides his wheel chair into the van.
The next big trip will be to Chicago for an MTM Conference this summer. Katherine figures the trip will take about 10 days going and 10 days back. “It’s going to be a difficult journey by myself covering 24 hours a day, plus driving, finding places to eat and hauling Nic’ equipment,” she said.
Nic requires several pieces of equipment, including a ventilator and oxygen tanks to stay alive. These along with luggage and other items have to be taken in and out of the van and in and out of motel rooms when they stop for the day. It’s a lot for one person to take on, so Katherine is looking for people to who might what to go along and help out.
Right now they’re just enjoying the van and the freedom and security it afford.
The van is a gargantuan leap from the 1993-converted Chrysler Town and Country they had when the moved here from Atlanta.
“It served us well for many years, [but] it wasn’t very comfortable and the shocks really jolted us around a lot,” Katherine said.
She spent every penny of the money donated on the van, and the additional insurance. It took a while to find the right van and to finalize the deal, longer than she had expected or hoped.
Now that they have it, Katherine and Nic couldn’t be happier. Asked what he liked best about his new van, Nic responed, “Everything!”
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Gloria Tierney
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
