Yea, the 16 year old gear is probably not long for this world, I didn’t know if maybe that stuff has been updated more frequently than the vehicle itself. Will you be planning to change chairs anytime in the next few years? Is interchangeability something that ought to be planned out now?
Maybe get a couple of estimates for different scenarios?
I.e, it’d be $X to install the old stuff for right now and buy and install new gear next year, versus $X to buy new gear at time of vehicle purchase. You’d be doubling your labor costs for sure to go with old gear temporarily. But then again, it might be worthwhile if it gets you on the road again rather than waiting.
Maybe the old but functional gear could be donated to a charity for a sizeable tax deduction? (No idea how such things work in Australia. )
Yeah, basically once I have the actual vehicle I’ll work out concrete costings and figure out the smartest way to proceed. It’s very hard at the moment without a make/model to get solid figures, but I’m very much dedicated to doing things smartly. Everyone who has donated deserves their money to be used as constructively as possible.
The number of donations coming in since about Tuesday has really starkly dropped off. I suspect social media has been tapped-out more-or-less at this point. So we’re thinking of maybe doing a fundraising event in Sydney or something similar. The campaign needs a real boost in exposure, I think.
Nearly $11,000 is a nice start, but it’ll probably be slower going from here. Maybe a renewed campaign after the first of the month, when people have had a chance to get paid again? You could ask those who’ve donated to donate regularly until the goal is met.
People aren’t going to feel any less strongly about your cause just because they’re tapped out for the month.
That’s very good advice. I’ll also try to get a new video done soon, just to renew interest.
The funny thing is that until I get enough for the actual vehicle, I can’t spend any of it. Basically, until a threshold is reached, that $11,000 is very abstract. What that money does represent, however, is the kindness of truly good people, and that’s significant in itself.
I have now made a completely over-the-top video for the site: sunsets, hope and tragedy included! It’s a tale of boy-meets-van, boy-loses-van, boy-needs-van.
Have you thought about buying used? I don’t know about Australia, but just looking at my local (Nashville, TN) Craigslist, there are several handicapped-conversions for sale. You would already have the money for this one right now. $70K is a stretch goal, and I hope you make it. But with some research you might find something, even if you have to travel to pick it up, that might be obtainable now.
I can see going a few years used, but twelve? That’s not much younger than the current vehicle.
One DOES morbidly wonder what happens to the plush vans of rich disabled folks that kick the bucket. But I’m not even sure how you’d phrase the question without offending someone.
I’ve looked at decent used options. If I want something that’ll last (so 2010 models or later, under 60,000km, say) I’ll still need to raise about $41k at a minimum, just for the vehicle. There’s still on-road costs and further outfitting, so if I can get it to $50k or thereabouts I think I may be able to get it all together.
Foggy, thanks so much. It really means a lot.
ETA: Oh, and yes, I do wonder about the fate of occupants whose modified vehicles are being sold. If I’m lucky I could get a van possessed by its late owner. That’d be pretty cool, actually.
I have two ventilators, one for my wheelchair and one for my bed. Both are the same model, which was made obsolete at the end of last year.
When the van broke down last, I was coming home after trialling a new ventilator. I haven’t been able to complete this process in part because, well, I can’t get out.
Two nights ago one of my ventilators broke down. Luckily I sourced a loan, but as far as I know, the broken one will not be serviced.
So I’m getting the van serviced right now in the hopes that I can get it working enough to complete the process of the ventilator trials. However, they’ve had the van for two days now and have yet to find the fault.
The best twist is that the wheelchair’s battery has also died.
So I’m spending my time preparing for an upcoming conference, as well as amusing myself by reading The Annotated Turing and re-reading Godel, Escher, Bach. I wonder if my sweetheart will be wooed by a soliloquy on universal Turing machines over our Valentine’s dinner at home?
