Mother seeks help
to adapt van for disabled son
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Efforts are under way to help a local woman adapt the family van to suit the needs of her handicapped son.
Photo courtesy of Wendy Emery
BLAKE EMERY, of Presque Isle, was born with numerous disabilities. His mother, Wendy Emery, is trying to raise funds to get the family’s van adapted so she can transport Blake to his doctor appointments. 
“I’m a single mother and full-time caregiver for my son, Blake, who is 18. Blake was born with severe brain damage due to strokes he had before he was born. Those strokes left him with multiple disabilities including Porencephaly (a rare condition causing cysts within the brain), cerebral palsy with spastic quadriplegia — basically the only thing he can control the movement of is his eyelids and mouth — seizure disorder and severe visual impairments,” said his mother, Wendy Emery, of Presque Isle.
Emery said these disabilities cause Blake to be unable to sit up or walk on his own, so he must use a wheelchair.
She said her son has surpassed doctor’s expectations, living well beyond their predictions.
“We were told that Blake would not see his first birthday, however he is a happy 18-year-old young man. Despite the challenges he faces on a daily basis, he is still our little fighter. His smile and laugh can brighten a room and always brings a smile to my face,” said Emery.
The van is a necessity, according to Emery, to ensure Blake can get to his frequent doctor appointments.
“It is very important for Blake to be able to get to his many medical appointments. Blake not only has them here in Presque Isle but we often travel to Bangor and Portland to see part of his medical team,” she said.
Transportation also provides a means for Blake to socialize beyond his home.
“I also find it very important to keep Blake involved with as much of our family activities and outings as I can. Blake is a very social young man who enjoys attending his siblings’ activities. He loves to watch his brother play soccer and his sister play softball. He also loves to go to his sister’s band and chorus concerts and her dance recitals and pageants. He’s the one cheering the loudest for them,” Emery said.
Emery said it’s been a struggle transporting her son since her old handicap accessible van quit running.
“We were in desperate need of a reliable vehicle to get him to and from his important appointments. I was able to purchase a van, however it is not handicap accessible,” she said.
For now, Emery has to take Blake out of his wheelchair and lift him into a seat in the van, where he has to be propped up with pillows, readjusted often during transport and is not safely secured.
“He weighs 90 pounds and is very stiff, making it difficult to transfer him safely with my chronic elbow tendonitis. After getting him as secured as possible in our van, I have to take his wheelchair completely apart to fold up the wheel base so that it will fit in the vehicle,” said Emery, noting the procedure is very time-consuming, making quick trips anywhere impossible.
“I have noticed due to how difficult it is we do not take him out as often as we used to. This is why it is very important to Blake that we get our van converted for his wheelchair as soon as possible,” she said.
The conversion is quite an expensive process, Emery said.
“I have found that the process to convert our van is very expensive, so I am now working on obtaining some financial help to adapt the van for Blake’s wheelchair. I received a few estimates for the van conversions, with the cheapest being $19,288. So far, with a few small fundraisers we have done and some donations, we have raised $1,000,” she said.
Emery is pursuing every avenue possible to upgrade her vehicle.
“I learned that if we can convert our van by August, the Dodge and Chrysler company has a program that will pay for $2,000 of the conversion — the conversion needs to be done within six months of purchase; I purchased the 2013 Dodge Caravan on Feb. 12,” said Emery.
“My hope is we can raise around $16,000 by the end of July. If you can help us raise money in any way or can donate to help us, it would be greatly appreciated,” continued Emery.
One of what Emery hopes will be several fundraisers is planned for Thursday, May 30. A Pampered Chef party to benefit Blake’s van conversion will be held at 6 p.m. at the Opportunity Training Center at 25 Lombard St. All proceeds will go toward upgrading the family’s van to suit Blake’s needs. The public is welcome to come and meet Blake.
If you cannot attend the fundraiser, you can order online at www.pamperedchef.biz/cheftam and enter “conversion van for Blake’ as the host to order from and help out.
For more information or to make a donation, call Emery at 227-2080 or mail donations to Emery at 26 North St. Box 147, Presque Isle, ME 04769.
“We also have an account set up at Katahdin Trust Company. The name of the account is ‘Conversion for Blake,’ if you’d prefer to deposit directly to our fund-raising account,” said Emery.
