At long last, we now have a van to transport Oscar’s 200+ pound power wheelchair! We are filled with gratitude. We can’t believe how the world has opened up already, in such a short time. We’ve had the van almost three weeks and we’ve been having too much fun to hold still long enough to write a blog post!
Oscar arriving at preschool for the first time in his power chair!
We were so incredibly lucky to find a 2011 Toyota Sienna, already fully converted, with only 4,700 miles on it! So, it was essentially a new van, but with a used price! The full price of the van, including taxes, was close to $55,000, but Medicaid covered the portion of the price that was for the wheelchair conversion, which was a greater cost than just the van itself. Medicaid paid over $28,000, while we paid just under $27,000. This left us with money to cover insurance, and a nice cushion in the bank to cover any maintenance that will be needed (for example, the hydraulics and ramp will need to be serviced at least once a year). We are humbled and beyond grateful that this all panned out the way it did. We feel so blessed by the community that rallied around Oscar to make the purchase of this van possible. We feel so blessed by the village that is helping us raise this boy.
There is a lot we’re all learning about navigating in the world with a four-year-old, now that we have the means for Oscar to navigate! For example, when in public, it’s important to stay where one one of your parents can see you. And, when going through a doorway, it’s important to keep moving, rather than stop right in the middle! Now, when we’re out and about, we move at Oscar’s pace, versus our pace of pushing him in the stroller. Sometimes that pace is hard to keep up with. But often, it is the slow pace of an inquisitive little guy seeing the world from a new vantage point—his very own vantage point—with the independence to go where he wants to go, and when he wants to go!
We are also now thoroughly enjoying the luxury of having two vehicles. It’s so wonderful to be able to start making dinner without having to stop mid-stream to go pick David up from work. Or to be able to take Oscar somewhere in the late afternoon without having to worry about being back in time to pick David up. And David is thoroughly enjoying not having to wait for the two slow-pokes in his family to leave the house in the morning. He’s actually been on time to work every day since we got the van!
On the very first night we got the van, we offered to take Oscar out for ice cream to celebrate. But, no, he wasn’t really interested. He wanted to go to the library instead!
Other places we have visited so far:
• Wegmans
• the Lego store
• the Pittsford Dairy
• the Planetarium
• Daystar (Oscar’s old daycare)
• Writers & Books (my work)
• Cardiology Clinic (David’s work)
• friends’ house from preschool
• Barnes & Noble
• Chipotle
• Panera
• Target
• CP Rochester for swimming
• The Strong Museum of Play
The ramp folded inside the van.
Oscar parked in the van ready for an adventure.
These easy quick-release tie-downs secure Oscar's chair in 4 places.
All tied down and ready to go (you can see Oscar's feet in his car seat where he will still ride for now)!
Oscar browsing the books!
Just outside the library!
And here’s a video showing how the van ramp works – with just a click of a button!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAPVoFgKCKw&feature=youtu.be
Thanks so very much to all of you who helped make this become a reality. On the first day we got the van Oscar kept saying, “We OWN this van. It’s ours! We’re not renting it or borrowing it. We don’t have to give it back. We OWN it!” The adventures have only begun. We look forward to sharing more with you!
