CLOVERDALE 鈥� Jack Cholette will be able to get around a little easier now, thanks to a ferry godmother.
BC Ferries has donated a chairlift to the Cloverdale family to help five-year-old Jack who has Trisomy 5p, a rare genetic condition that affects him in many ways. Jack is wheelchair dependent, legally blind, hearing impaired and he has hip dysplasia, scoliosis and a weak immune system.
Mom Hope explains his disorder means he has 鈥渢oo much DNA.鈥�
鈥�(He has) low muscle tone, which doesn鈥檛 allow him to hold his head鈥�. He has constant seizures, so multiple different disorders that are related to something called Trisomy 5p. So one of our biggest struggles, of course, as he gets bigger, is mobility. He is in a wheelchair and we suspect he will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
鈥淏ut then again, it鈥檚 Jack so you never know,鈥� she laughed. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been a trooper through all his surgeries.鈥�
Because of Jack鈥檚 mobility issues, he needs to be carried up and down the family鈥檚 two-storey home.
Though he weighs just 40 pounds, Hope said because of his low muscle tone, he鈥檚 not able to hold on and this means he feels a lot heavier.
鈥淚t can get a little tiresome on your back and it鈥檚 unsafe for him because if somebody鈥檚 carrying him and they trip and fall on the stairs, somebody鈥檚 going to get hurt,鈥� she said.
A few months ago, the Cloverdale family faced a dilemma: Move or outfit their current home for Jack.
鈥淲e realized the cost to move was much more detrimental than it was to renovate the home to suit him,鈥� said Hope. She noted it would have cost around $60,000.
Earlier this year the Cholettes put together an online fundraising campaign. Their story reached a BC Ferries鈥� employee, who knew of an unused stair lift that had been removed from the Horseshoe Bay terminal after an elevator project had been completed.
And it wasn鈥檛 just the lift that was donated, but also installation. and donated time and labour to install the lift. The installation is now complete and being used by Jack.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been amazing, they did an amazing amount of work, just through their hearts,鈥� said Hope. 鈥淚t truly is a life-changing thing.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 been about a week,鈥� she said sitting in her Cloverdale living room. 鈥淚t was a little bit intimidating at the first moment but now we鈥檙e using it on a daily basis.鈥�
Hope said she can鈥檛 thank all involved enough.
鈥淎ll of them, just to help a little boy. I will never be able to thank them enough,鈥� said Hope.
鈥淚 keep telling Jack how lucky he is, to have all these people who want to help him, complete strangers who love him.鈥�
She described her son as stubborn, lovable and happy. 鈥淛ack is one of the strongest spirited kids I know. He continues to surprise people, we quite often have visits with doctors who say, 鈥榃hat is his life expectancy?鈥� Who know? We鈥檝e got to give him the best quality of life while he鈥檚 here. It鈥檚 never easy to say about your child, and when the time comes, it won鈥檛 be easy, but we know we live in a world where he may be here today and gone tomorrow. Or he may be here for 15 or 20 years. When we look at Jack and what we can do for him, it鈥檚 give him love and give him the best quality of life we can.鈥�
This lift allows them to do just that, she said.
Corrine Storey, BC Ferries鈥� vice-president of customer services, said this project is 鈥渁n example of what can be accomplished when we work together and support the communities we serve.鈥�
