FLORENCE, Ky. — A Florence mother is asking for help securing a wheelchair ramp and a new van for her 7-year-old son.
"This would be a lifesaver," Colleen Sullivan said. "This would be his way of transportation and his way to be open to the community and to his world."
Sullivan's son, Elijah, has cerebral palsy and several other severe medical conditions. She said he suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was just a few months old, and she adopted him when he was 3.
"If you knew the trauma and the fight that this little boy had," she said.
Elijah uses a wheelchair. Sullivan has caretakers to assist in the home, but when they're not there, she has to lift Elijah into her van herself. It's become more difficult as he's grown up.
Sullivan said she tore her rotator cuff trying to lift him and her doctors have said it's not feasible for her to continue the practice.
"Many days, I haven't been able to take him places if I didn't have their help, because I wasn't able to lift him and carry him," she said.
She's called various funding sources to help pay for the special ramp but hasn’t had any luck. She's currently applying for funding through a traumatic brain injury fund.
Elijah's caretakers had their own idea: They started a GoFundMe asking for help.
"I didn't want people to think that I couldn't take care of my son, that I was just begging for money," Sullivan said. "But this little boy is one of the most worthy children out there. He deserves this."
Sullivan said the ramp would mean more access for Elijah to be out in the community, visiting the zoo and other places for kids.
"Just like any other normal child without disabilities," she said. "He laughs. He cries. He feels. He has emotions. He experiences joy when he's out."
She’s also hoping to get a new van that would better accommodate his conditions.
"Then I could be the mom that I want to be," she said. "I could be the mom that God has created me to be."
Riley Ball, one of the caretakers who started the fundraiser, said she considers Elijah family. She said he lights up when given the chance to be out in the community.
"He's so deserving of this," said Ball. "He's definitely persevered through so much."
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