Local teen’s wheelchair campaign gains traction
BLACKSTONE – A public fundraising campaign to raise $75,000 for a state-ofthe-art standing wheelchair for 17-year-old Bradley Gignac of Blackstone is nearing the half-way mark with $35,016 donated as of Friday.
To date, more than 464 people over the past 27 days have donated to a GoFundMe campaign to raise the money it will cost to buy the new wheelchair, which is not covered under the family’s health insurance plan.
On July 20, 2003, Gignac, who was 3½-years-old at the time, was riding a jet ski on Echo Lake in Rhode Island with his father when they were struck by a boat. His father, 22-year-old Kevin Gignac, a Blackstone firefighter, was killed instantly. Bradley suffered from a stroke and serious brain trauma, paralyzing him on his right side and leaving him blind in his left eye.
Thursday marked the 14th anniversary of the accident.
“We all suffered a great
loss, but none more than Bradley,” said his grandmother, Celeste Gignac of Blackstone. “Not only did Bradley lose his best friend, but he lost a part of his own life. In a second, Bradley’s life was turned upside down. He went from being a very healthy, vibrant young boy to facing the rest of his life unable to care for himself and dependent upon others for the simplest of things.”
“Nothing can change these things. Nothing can bring my son back. And nothing can bring Bradley’s daddy back to him,” she said. “Nothing can ever fill the void in my heart or Bradley’s heart for what was lost.” Gignac says a day doesn’t pass when she doesn’t think of her son Kevin and her younger son, Matthew, who died of cancer years ago.
“Yes my heart breaks, but I also have the blessing of watching Bradley become the young man that I know Kevin would be so proud of,” she says. Bradley, who has had 14 surgeries since the accident, has lost muscle tone and bone structure from sitting in a traditional wheelchair. A standing wheelchair, his grandmother says, will alleviate the harsh toll his current wheelchair had on his body.
A new stand-up wheelchair, which Bradley has dreamt about getting since seeing one four years ago, are designed for comfort and durability and offers many health benefits, including improvement of blood circulation, kidney and bladder functioning, as well as improvement of muscle tone.
Bradley is hoping the new wheelchair will allow him to bowl in the Special Olympics and walk across the stage to receive his high school diploma.
Celeste Gignac said the many donations that have been pouring in for Bradley has left her speechless.
“They say it takes a village to raise a child. In Bradley’s case, it takes a world- a world of kind and caring individuals who care enough to want the very best for him,” she said. “A world where people have sacrificed freely for the betterment of this special young man and to make him feel that he is worthy to live a normal life. Bradley and I can not thank every one enough for what they have given and continue to give. Without that help, Bradley’s dream would not become a reality.”
Bradley is an 11th-grader at Blackstone-Millville Regional High School where he will be enrolled in the life skills program in September. His positive attitude and social nature has earned him the nickname ‘The Mayor.”
But life remains a chal- lenge for the young teen.
He continues to receive physical, occupational and speech therapies, and walking – even when using a walker for full assistance - is limited to a few steps. To date, he has had 14 operations, including eye surgery (he is blind in one eye); left and right multiple hip surgeries; reconstruction of both femurs (one of the surgeries left him in a full body cast for six months); and complete restoration of his right foot, hand and arm.
According to his grandmother, Bradley, who is mostly confined to a wheelchair, has never asked for anything. But he does have a dream – to be able to experience life in a new state-of-the-art wheelchair.
Gignac said it was four years ago when she and Bradley attended the Boston Abilities Show where numerous vendors displayed their latest innovations to help people with disabilities. That day, Bradley had the opportunity to experience life in a standing wheelchair.
Gignac knew immediately that the wheelchair could open up an entirely new world for her grandson, who only has the use of his left arm. The wheelchair he uses now has taken a toll on his body because it forces him to sit in the same position every waking moment. It has caused skin issues, loss of muscle tone and difficulty speaking because of the restrictive position of his body.
Standup wheelchairs feature an easy to access joystick controller that allows the user to fully control the movement of the chair. It also features a stand up mode, which allows users to drive the chair while in a standing position.
Stand-up wheelchairs are designed for comfort and durability and offer many health benefits, including improvement of blood circulation, kidney and bladder functioning, as well as improvement of muscle tone.
“Not a day has passed that Bradley has not asked about this new standing wheelchair,’ says Gignac. “His dream is to one day be able to function through life like everyone else.”
To help Bradley get his wheelchair, donate to his GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/bradle ys-dream-wish-wheelchair.
Donations can also be made through Paypal at www.paypal.me/bradswhee lchair or directly by check to Celeste Gignac/BAF, P.O. Box 280, Blackstone, MA 01504.
Plans are also in the works for a Funny4Funds Comedy Night to be held Sept. 28 at Savini’s Restaurant in Woonsocket.