Family raising money to buy special van for mom with ALS
LAKE MARY, Fla. - A mother of two in Lake Mary was recently diagnosed with ALS, and now the family is asking for the community’s help to help her enjoy the rest of the time she has.
They are raising money to buy an accessible van.
"We just did everything together. It was so much fun. We were living," Brian MacDonald, the woman’s husband, said.
MacDonald and his wife Vivianne MacDonald have been married for 14 years. He has fond memories of most of that time.
"[We would] clean the house together blast the music. The kids would be dancing around," he said.
Life suddenly changed when Vivianne was diagnosed with ALS in 2018. She was in a wheelchair within a year and unable to speak. Now, years later, she has extremely limited movement.
"I pick her up and transfer her wherever she needs to go and whatever she needs. I’ve even gotten pretty good at washing hair and applying color," Brian MacDonald said.
The couple has two boys, ages 11 and seven. Their lives, too, have changed since Vivianne’s diagnosis.
"They don’t get out. They don’t experience much anymore because we simply can’t get out of the house," he said.
Now Brian wants to change that. Like most ALS patients, doctors gave Vivianne three to five years to live from the time of her diagnosis.
"I go out sometimes to pick something up from the store and I see families walking together. I’m happy for them, but it hurts like hell," he said.
Vivianne MacDonald was diagnosed with ALS in 2018. She was in a wheelchair within a year and unable to speak. Now, years later, she has extremely limited movement.
Vivianne MacDonald was diagnosed with ALS in 2018. She was in a wheelchair within a year and unable to speak. Now, years later, she has extremely limited movement.
Vivianne MacDonald was diagnosed with ALS in 2018. She was in a wheelchair within a year and unable to speak. Now, years later, she has extremely limited movement.
The family created a fundraising campaign with "Help Hope Live" to raise money for an accessible van. It would give them the opportunity to spend time outside the home together, with the time Vivianne has left.
"[We could] take the kids to museums or theme parks," Brian MacDonald said.
Brian wants to create new and positive memories together as a family.
"If we’re an active family we’re a happier family and if we’re a happy family, she’ll live longer. That’s my belief. She’s alive, so I want her to live," he said.
Brian said an accessible van can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The family is accepting donations online at https://helphopelive.org/campaign/19306/. The goal is $50,000.
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