January 25, 2016 at 1:48 p.m.
Local family trying to purchase bed for special needs child
Local family trying to purchase bed for special needs child
By Kayla Thomason-
Elizabeth Winters' daughter, April, has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, significant cognitive and developmental delays, and spasticity.
Although she just turned six years old, developmentally she is about 10 to 12 months old.
She requires constant care and supervision, is non-verbal and cannot call for help or follow commands, according to her mother.
For safety reasons April needs to be in a crib, but she is outgrowing hers and her limbs can get stuck between the bars.
Winters said she has put baby bumpers on the railings of her daughter's crib, but April can push them down, posing a risk when she has seizures in the crib.
The new bed that Winters is trying to purchase is a SleepSafe II Tall Bed which is twin-sized and has tall, solid safety rails so April can't crawl or fall out. The rails also fold down for easy access.
The inside of the bed is padded and there are no gaps between the mattress and railings.
The family's insurance company refused to pay for the bed, stating that special needs beds are not part of the family's policy, Winters said.
The family is currently working with the Children's Miracle Network in Marshfield, which has been able to donate $2,000. However, the family is still $6,669 short.
The person they are working with through the Children's Miracle Network advised them to contact local organizations before holding a fundraiser.
Although she wants to ask organizations for help first, Winters isn't opposed to donations from the public if anyone desires to give.
"I've been finding a lot of times when you reach out to people not everybody can help us but they know of someone that we can get in touch with," Winters said, adding that she has been told that crowdfunding websites often take a percentage of the proceeds so she wants to avoid that option.
Winters is hoping to get in contact with people who could help.
"Any way we can get in touch with anybody that might be able to help us I'm totally open for," she said.
Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so at CoVantage Credit Union in Rhinelander and address it to the April AJ Winters account.
The family can also be reached at [email protected].
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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