CHANGING LIFE

 

IT'S UP TO YOU!

"I want the best for my brother. He did not ask to be born with his disability, yet he is so happy and makes the best of everything. He deserves to have a chance at getting out and seeing the world. I want to help provide my family with the means to do so. Your contribution, no matter how big or small, would help him in ways you cannot imagine. I dream of the biggest smile on his face while we go exploring together, and sees the world outside of the walls of my family's house for once."

 

-Sarah Dutour





Chris Dutour is a happy, fun, smart guy. He brings joy to anyone who gets to know him. He is a huge sports fan, and can tell you detailed statistics on leagues from the NHL to MLB.

 

He was born 3 months premature and suffered a lack of oxygen leaving him with irreversable brain damage. As a result of his birth circumstances, Chris has Spastic Cerebral Palsy. 

 

He spent his elementary and high school life with a lot of support from the governments and schools, but sadly, the options become limited once disabled children reach adulthood. He was able to acquire a pension, which barely covers his basic survival needs, let alone the expensive equipment required for him to go about his daily life. 

 

Chris' family has been a single income family due to the care required. His mother stays home with him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, lifting him in and out of bed in the morning, and back in to have his diapers changed. She feeds him by hand, and looks after him all the time. She doesn't get breaks often, except when other family members, like his sister Sarah, take over for a period of time. 

 

Chris' family recently paid off their mortgage, but are now facing a huge renovation to the home they live in, because the house has settled and sunken on one end, and it is literally splitting down the middle. The windows are very old and not efficient, and need to be replaced. They just replaced the entire roof after it had been leaking for a year. They are struggling to manage all of these things, and the current van they have is now going on 14 years old.

 

Retrofitting it would be somewhat senseless as it is getting up there in age. Chris' sister, Sarah is a technician at Toyota, and she works on these vehicles daily.

 

"I know Toyotas are built to last, they are quality, reliable, efficient vehicles. My dream is to get a Sienna van, which come pre-built from Toyota with Braunability mobility equipment so that my mother and brother could go out places together. My brother could go back to university, which he had to leave because transit was not accomodating to him. I would be able to take him out to all sorts of places, movies, parks, aquariums, zoos, plays, and so much more, so he can experience the culture and world we all get to enjoy."

 

-Sarah Dutour