Best friends on car mission
ZOE Zanos has had a tough run. The St Albans Park woman was diagnosed with a severe musclewasting disease as a baby and has lived her life in a wheelchair.
With best friend Fiona Seitz forever by her side, Ms Zanos never let her condition stop her living life to the full but earlier this year, while battling cancer, her specially modified car gave up after 22 years.
The wheelchair-friendly car was a slice of freedom for the artist, whose days are scheduled around carer visits.
Ms Zanos now relies on maxitaxis and is at the mercy of availability and driver sensitivity.
“You basically have to book a year in advance for a taxi on Christmas Day,” she said. “Between 9am and 10am and 2.30pm and 3.30pm, the school runs, you can’t go and there’s never a guarantee. Which is scary.”
“Zoe’s birthday is January 1, but she can’t go anywhere on New Year’s Eve because the taxis are booked up,” Ms Seitz said. “So we have a party here.
“I drive very differently when I have Zoe in the car. You can’t slam on the brakes or her head falls forward.”
The National Disability Insurance Agency had been great, Ms Zanos said, but they would only fund the most basic car modifica- tions. So, the pair put their heads together and last week launched a crowdfunding page to help cover the $84,000 cost.
“Mum and dad have always provided for me and we’ve done things on our own. I’m not used to asking but this is necessary. I can’t ever work to save the money,” Ms Zanos said.
Ms Zanos said the modifications would include a docking station that would save time getting her in and out of the car, especially as she continues to lose strength.
The pair registered as a charity, and donations of more than $350 will receive a framed artwork by Ms Zanos. The former Deakin and RMIT masters student said she had recently begun drawing again after struggling to lift her arms while recovering from chemotherapy.
“When the car broke down I was going (to Andrew Love Cancer Centre) every day. It was stressful and draining,” Ms Zanos said.
“I owe a lot of my social experiences to Fiona. We’ve had lots of fun over the years.”
Ms Seitz said since meeting in kinder at Ocean Grove, she’d always looked up to Ms Zanos.
“I couldn’t speak English at the time and she taught me to read and speak,” she said. “I’ve never really noticed the chair and nothing gets in her way.” TO DONATE, VISIT: GOGETFUNDING.COM / HAVE-YOU-BEEN-TOUCHED-BY-ZOEAND-HER-STORY