When Chris Dieter was born, his parents were told he would only live for a few weeks. But now at age six, his parents needed to find a new way for him to get around.
“He outgrew his car seat, so this is what the next step had to be,” said Shania McNabb, Chris’s mother.
Dieter has cerebral palsy, and uses a wheelchair that requires an expensive wheelchair van for transport.
McNabb started a GoFundMe page in an effort to help make the purchase, and a few months later the campaign had exceeded its goal.
“The new van, it’s big, he loves it,” McNabb said. “Maybe because he doesn’t feel crowded anymore, he’s comfortable where he’s sitting.”
Some of the money came from Jordan’s Principle, a federal program that helps indigenous people receive services.
The rest came from people living in the Balcarres community.
Dieter is well known in his school.
“They interact incredibly with him,” said Rhea McFarlane, a teacher at the Balcarres Community School. “He comes lots of times to the library, even the older kids ask him how he’s doing and he smiles at them.”
The family bought the new van at the end of January, and it’s already been a huge relief in getting Dieter to his ongoing treatments in Regina and Saskatoon.
McNabb knows she’s lucky to have everyone’s support in giving her son a better way to get to his frequent hospital visits.
“We just want to say thank you for everything you’ve done for us,” McNabb said. “We would never have got the van if it wasn’t for you guys.”
Based on a report by CTV Yorkton's Nathaniel Dove
