Nolan Staples is a typical 14-year-old. He likes to hang out at the mall, catch a movie with friends and play basketball and PS4.
But unlike many kids his age, he can’t stand on his own. He was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was 2. The disease weakens skeletal and cardiac muscles, and those with DMD often need a wheelchair by their teenage years. Duchenne has no cure and affects one in 3,500 live male births and some females.
Nolan Staples wheels into his family’s new van. His mother, Misty Swafford, was recenly diagnosed with breast cancer and told to avoid heavy lifting, making a wheelchair-accessible van a must.Every morning, Nolan’s mom, Misty Swafford, helps him get into his wheelchair to get ready for school. When it’s time to leave, the process of helping Nolan into the minivan can take up to 30 minutes, and the routine is physically strenuous on Swafford.
“I have to transfer him out of the chair and into the van,” she said. “Then I take the chair and pull it around back and strap it into the trailer. If it’s raining, we’re getting wet. If it’s freezing, we’re freezing.”
In November of last year, Swafford decided things had to change. Online research led her to the Massachusetts-based Jett Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness for muscular dystrophy and helps families purchase necessary equipment.