Help Us Make Maryanne & Peter's Life MND-Friendly!
Wed Nov 13, 17:00 - Wed Apr 15, 17:00
Event is online
ABOUT
You might not know Maryanne and Peter, or you might be their family or friends! Either way, we need your help to help us help them.
After a long while of non-conclusive doctor's visits, Maryanne has been diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease, a rare and progressive illness that causes the nerves in the spine and brain to lose function over time. Motor neurons are nerve cells that send electrical output signals to the muscles, affecting the muscles' ability to function, affecting speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing for example.
Earlier this year it became clear that Maryanne needed a wheelchair and together with her husband Peter, is taking to her new way of navigating the world like a Warrior Queen. There are, however, still a fair number of challenges to figure out. The most critical of these is navigating the bathroom, amongst a number of other less-pressing but equally-impactful challenges.
Maryanne and Peter's bathroom, although now fitted with a shower seat and rails, will not be suitable to their needs for long.
Maryanne's Occupational Therapist and Physio have advised that a renovation of the bathroom is needed in order to make the toilet usable for Maryanne, and to convert the shower into one that can not only take a wheelchair, but also have enough room for a second assisting person. We've included the details of what needs to be done in the tab on this page titled 'The Plan' which you can find next to the 'About' tab .
The estimated cost for this job is around R30,000.00, which is not something Maryanne and Peter or their kids can afford, particularly after the costs that went into Maryanne's diagnosis and transition into a wheelchair, which is why we're reaching out to you for help!
Any donation will help, no matter how big or small. Please help us meet Maryanne's new needs and spread the word so that we can harness the power of many hands and spreading the load.
In addition to the bathroom, there are also a number of things we need to do to help Maryanne and Peter with their medical and care expenses.
We'd like to make things as comfortable for Maryanne as possible while still giving her the power of her autonomy and easing the increased challenges for both her and Peter. We've detailed some of these that we'd like to get sorted for them in the tab on this page titled 'Updates' which you can find next to the 'About' tab.
How to donate:
- Simply enter any amount you want to contribute in the donation box above and click the green 'Donate Now!' button.
- You'll then be directed to select your payment method (Card, Snapscan , Virgin Money Spot, or Instant EFT) and will be asked to fill in a few details (name, surname, email and phone - these details are only seen by us and we'll only use them to thank you for your support). When you're done, click the green 'Complete Order' button and that's it!
If you have any issues with making payment, please contact the Quicket Support team who will be able to assist you by emailing [email protected] or calling them on 021 424 9308.
Why we're using Quicket: Not only does it make it easy for us to gather donations from people near and far, but it's also significantly cheaper than traditional crowdfunding websites and works out the cheapest for us.
Even if you don't have a card that works for online payments, anyone with a bank account is able to donate online using the Instant EFT. payment method. That said, if you're really unable to donate online, please get in touch with Nina by emailing [email protected] to arrange an EFT to her account which she can then add to the online donations.
UPDATES
Your generosity has enabled us to get bathroom renovation plans moving along. Things should be kicking into gear once the builders' holidays end later in January. What an incredible Christmas gift!
With the unbelievable feat of reaching this goal so quickly, we'd like to keep the momentum going and so we've decided to set a second target to raise further funds for Maryanne's comfort and care.
We've started putting together a list of needs and are in the process of getting quotes. So far, this list includes:
- Extensions for Maryanne's wheelchair leg rests, so she can sit comfortably with her feet up which helps with swelling.
- Wheelchair-friendly slippers - these are a very specific type that are non-slip, and easy to put on or take off.
- Wheelchair-friendly shoes.
- Building a ramp from the lounge of Maryanne and Peter's house to the garden, so that they can enjoy the beautiful garden that they've put so much love into together with their pets and with visiting friends and family.
- More clothing options that work comfortably for Maryanne in terms of ease of getting dressed or undressed, for example pants that are comfortable without fiddly zips or buttons which can be worn with tops, or longer tops that can be worn with leggings.
- The toilet en suite to Maryanne and Peter's bathroom needs to be lifted so that she doesn't need to go down the hallway to the (soon-to-be-newly-wheelchair-friendly) bathroom down the hallway at night.
- A chair with armrests for the dining room table, which will currently enable Maryanne to sit at the table out of her wheelchair.
- An electric toothbrush, making it that much easier to brush her teeth herself since she is starting to experience troubles with control of her hands and fingers.
- Fixing the lazy boy armchair in their lounge which is currently broken, giving Maryanne a super comfortable spot to rest and relax in, whether reading a book or with company.
- More frequent cleaning of the house: the family's domestic worker currently comes to clean for them once a week, but twice a week would help significantly with the strain of the increased responsibilities.
- Similarly, a dishwasher is also something they're looking at to helo with this.
- Future unknown costs for MRIs, doctor appointments, etc.
- The costs of sessions such as physio, massage, etc. that will help improve how Maryanne feels.
- Part-time carer help to help Maryann with washing hair, cutting nails, etc. for a few hours a week and to build a relationship that will be needed as her illness progresses.
There are so many costs that we foresee needing to cover and many more we might not even have realised yet, so every bit that we can raise towards Maryanne's care is incredibly impactful. If you're not in a position to donate or have already supported us financially, we'd really appreciate your help in spreading the word further!
Thank you for helping us set Maryanne and Peter up in a way that meets the new needs and challenges they face.