“Aiden's existence has made me who I am. I am better because he is here. Every decision I make in life now comes with this immaculate consequence: I could let him down. And I don't want to ever let him down.”

When their family needed support in securing an accessible van, Team Joseph and the Duchenne community stepped in, making it possible for Sandra to focus on what matters most: enjoying every moment with Aiden.
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I can't tell you enough what your help has done for our family.

I was only 20 years old when I had Aiden. Everyone told me I was too young, I was too naive, and that being a parent was going to be too hard. One of my favorite quotes is from the movie "A League of Their Own." Tom Hanks tells Geena Davis as she is trying to leave the team, "Of course it's hard. It's supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. It's the hard that makes it great." That's all I heard when people told me it would be too hard, that it must be worth doing. They were right that it would be hard, but it was the "too" part I had a problem with. Having Aiden is the best thing I have ever done. And yes, it has been hard. Incredibly, incredibly hard. But...it has also been so incredibly great. And so worth it.

Aiden's existence has made me who I am. I am better because he is here. Every decision I make in life now comes with this immaculate consequence: I could let him down. And I don't want to ever let him down.

I lost a friend when I was 13 years old and what I learned from that is to find the beauty in the rain. When life gets really hard, and it seems "too hard," I ask myself, "would she trade places with me right now if she could?" And of course she would. She would want to be here. And if someone else would choose my hard, then I had to be grateful. I had to be grateful that I was here to even experience hard.

Aiden's journey has not been an easy one. And however hard I find it as a mom, I can only imagine what it feels like to be him. To watch his physical capabilities slip through his fingers. To need help bathing. To need help moving.

But Aiden wakes up every day and he doesn't complain. He has never complained. He loves his sister. And me. He laughs. He lives. He has shown me that nothing is too hard, and that hard is a perspective, not a fact. He has changed me forever.

I cried the day I had to put a lift on my vehicle. I cried. I did not want this physical reminder of the suffering my child was enduring. And when the lift broke, I cried too. Everything breaks down. Everything falls apart. I didn't know how in the world I was going to do what I knew needed to be done: get an accessible van. I barely started a new job after being unemployed for a year and a half. I am a single parent. So, I cried some more. But after I cried, I looked at Aiden and I thought about how hard it must be, how much he needs me to keep fighting for him, to keep pushing through. I saw him sitting in his recliner at home and I thought about how hard it is for him to get up out of that chair. How he just needs a little help. And I realized that I could use a little help too.

I scoured the internet for hours that night. I googled until I couldn't google anymore. And I reached out to every organization I could find. I applied to everything. I asked for help everywhere. And I am not good at asking for help. I started a GoFundMe. I don't even remember sleeping. But I couldn't let him down. After everything we have gone through, there was no way this was going to stop us.

Your help with this van is not just monetary. That definitely helps. Financially, this would have ruined us. But it's so much more than that. This van will get him to his appointments. It's a literal life save. This van is our vehicle to memories. It's the thing that will allow us to continue to live. And every moment with Aiden matters. I won't get a lifetime of those. But organizations like yours, they make it easier. I no longer need to worry about the how. I just get to enjoy his existence. And I can't ever repay you or thank you enough for that. I will always hold you so very dearly in my heart for the gift of more laughter, more conversations on the drive home, more life.

Aiden has already changed the world. He changes every person he comes into contact with. That is a superpower I am so blessed to witness. I hope that whenever you see a Toyota Sienna on the road you will think of us and smile. And know that we are thinking of you. Always.

Sandra