Sacramento man living with cerebral palsy replaces stolen van
With the help of a GoFundMe campaign raising more than $14,000, John Kerr was able to find a new wheelchair-accessible van online that met his needs.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Almost six months have passed since Sacramento resident John Kerr last saw his wheelchair-accessible van parked just a block from his home.
It was supposed to be stolen. Kerr said the van itself was worth a few thousand dollars with the powerlift installation being the costliest part of the vehicle.
Monday, he told ABC10 he joined a Facebook group where members sold accessible vans, and he soon became a customer.
“I had to wait a while to find something that would be perfect for us and work for me,” Kerr said. “It was frustrating at times, but also, I’m a very patient person.”
The consequences of being so long without a vehicle included having to forgo hosting an annual summer retreat for young adults with muscular dystrophy.
Kerr said he’s excited to run the retreat for summer 2023.
“It’s unfortunate that accessible vans are priced so highly. (It’s) very hard for people with disabilities to get a vehicle in the first place,” he said. “So having that GoFundMe helped us get to where we had to be, to get me back on the road. And it was just such a such a real nice blessing.”
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