Fundraising for family’s ‘medical lifeline’
Groceries, school, soccer, T-ball. Anyone with young kids can appreciate the role the family car plays in getting everyone where they need to be.
Now imagine, on top of that, you also have weekly trips to the hospital for treatment to reduce the never-ending pain associated with being one of the few people to have received two double-lung transplants. There are also regular checkups in Toronto, breathing appointments and other trips to the doctor’s office due to a blood disease.
For Adam Kingz, the family car isn’t just crucial, it’s a life-saving necessity for the Beamsville father of two.
“A vehicle is his medical lifeline,” said Kelly Stark, a family friend.
So, when their current vehicle died recently, the family was left in a desperate spot.
“We’re constantly having to borrow vehicles, but we can’t count on that forever,” Kingz said, shortly after borrowing Stark’s car to pick up his kids, Emma and Abel.
Though Kingz outwardly appears healthy — and he says, all things considered, he’s in good shape — his lung capacity is still just a fraction of the average person’s, and the pain never goes away. Weekly injections can reduce the pain only a bit. The two double-lung transplants wreaked havoc on his body, especially all the nerve endings in his back.
Because of that, he can’t work and is on the Ontario Disability Support Program, which barely covers the bills. Kingz said it’s virtually impossible for him and his wife Ashley to save up any money. They got by in recent years by purchasing old used cars, but even that would be difficult now. And anyway, given Kingz’ medical appointments on top of driving the kids around, he said it’d be nice to have a vehicle they could rely on for a few years.
Enter Stark, who met the Kingz family because their children go to the same school. Stark would often see Adam at the school and saw how much of a struggle it was for the family. The day after hearing what they were going through, Stark arrived at the Kingz home with a lasagna.
When she found out about their car, Stark started a GoFundMe campaign, which has so far raised $1,400 of its $7,000 goal. She’s also planning an online garage sale to raise money. The sale goes live on Wednesday and features a mix of items, including housewares, some furniture and a $150 gift basket from The Homemade Momma. The sale will be ongoing, and anyone who has an item to donate can email Stark at kellyistark@gmail.com.