FREEDOM RESTORED 'Miracle Van' changing lives

Jul. 23—CHARLEVOIX — A "miracle van" with an electric wheelchair lift is changing the lives of one Antrim County family.

Adell and Bryan Williams are a married couple who have been helping Adell's brother, Wayne Fox, who lives with cerebral palsy, for years.

After Bryan lost use of his legs earlier this year, due to illness, Adell's life soon began to revolve around getting both men to and from doctor appointments. And, since they live in a rural area, trips into town are no quick hike.

"Her small SUV only had enough room for one wheelchair," said Jen Vollmer, Community Connects' HUB coordinator. "So she was constantly in and out of the house just taking them places."

Adell started a GoFundMe in the hopes that she could raise some money for a wheelchair van, but she said that it didn't do too well.

Eventually, she called the Department of Northwestern Michigan health department, to see if they could steer her in the direction of someone who would let her make payments on a wheelchair van.

As fate would have it, Charlevoix resident Sam VanderHeide had recently donated a wheelchair van to Community Connects, a program under the Health Department of Northwestern Michigan that helps people meet their basic needs, Vollmer said.

VandherHeide had used the vehicle (a 2008 Ford E-250) to help his late wife, Julaine, get where she needed to go. After she died, he decided to donate the van.

So, less than two weeks after Adell's initial inquiry with the health department, she got a call from Community Connects.

Not only had someone donated a van, but Adell had her choice of two vans; both donated from the Vanderheide family.

"I hung up the phone and looked at my husband and said somebody is pranking us!" Adell said. "Then I called back and found out it was true. Then I cried."

With their new van, Adell, her husband, and her brother are all able to get around much easier.

"This van is equipped for two electric wheelchairs," Vollmer said. "So all three of them have a lot more freedom. The guys can get around a lot easier now, without Adell having to intervene as much."

Bryan said that if he and Adell were going out for the day, there was no way for them to take Wayne with them, and they would have to leave him at the house.

"It was hell getting both of them around," Adell said. "Everything took such a long time."

But she is quick to express how much the "miracle van," as she calls it, means to all three of them.

"A lot of simple things that a lot of people take for granted were out of our reach," she said. "The Lord dropped it down from heaven."

Adell, Bryan and Wayne can even take trips to the beach now, something they haven't been able to do in the five years since Bryan got sick.

"It's so nice that all three of us can get in that van and go somewhere for the day," Byran said. "Even if it's just shopping."

"We were always stuck in the house," Adell agreed. "That was our life. Movies, board games, watching the world go by. Now we get to live."

Bryan said he's still getting used to living in a wheelchair, but that he, Adell and Wayne have been "awfully damn lucky."

Bryan worked in the federal prison system for 15 years, first as a correctional officer, and later as a special investigative supervisor and a counselor.

"We try to do good things," he said. "And, hopefully, they come back around. Since I've been sick, it seems like every time we've had a real need, someone's been there for us."

Adell added, "We've just had to be patient and wait on the Lord."

According to Vollmer, the van donation was a one-of-a kind opportunity.

"It was kind of an amazing fluke," she said, "We don't usually get these types of donations. It was unbelievable."

While the van has changed all three of their lives, Bryan said they still have "a few things to work out," as far as getting around is concerned.

His electric wheelchair and Wayne's, need posts welded to them so they can be properly secured in the van and kept stable on the road.

Adell "jerry-rigs us down," Bryan said, "But we are hopefully getting that figured out in the next couple months."

He and Wayne said they also hope to catch a Detroit Tigers game sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Anyone who would like to make a referral for someone who needs assistance can find more information at www.northernmichiganchir.org, Vollmer noted.