Quebec mom who needs adapted vehicle for son inspires community to raise money to buy one

Mélanie Bouchard tries to bring her 13-year-old son everywhere, but car troubles coupled with the cost of an adapted vehicle to fit his wheelchair has left the single mom of four with few options.

Now, a Quebec community is stepping up to help the family get around.

Born with several disabilities, Bouchard says her son William, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, requires care from specialists across the province. That's forced the family to take numerous trips to Chicoutimi, Quebec City and Montreal from the Côte-Nord region. 

She says she's been told by some specialists her son may not live past the age of 30. That's partly why she says she wants to fill his life with fun experiences — many of which also require a vehicle.

"He's been through many, many things. I try to take him everywhere with me," said Bouchard.

This month, a fundraising campaign in the Saguenay region is trying to make those trips more accessible.

Thanks to a local business and community organization raising funds to purchase an adapted vehicle, volunteers are hoping the mother's trips for medical appointments — as well outings to restaurants, campsites, movies and amusement parks — will soon get easier.

Business co-owner Mylène Aubry first met Bouchard when the Forestville, Que., mother visited as a customer from more than 200 kilometres away. 

"I bonded with her … I really thought she was a good person. She was really human. She really looked after William," said Aubry, co-owner of Relais La Chapelle restaurant and Camping Au Soleil Levant campground.

Touched by the family's story, she offered to organize a fundraising campaign. With two snowmobiles up for grabs, Aubry says her restaurant is selling 750 tickets at a cost of $100.

"My sister died at the age of 24 from a brain tumour. I noticed that not enough foundations were giving," she said.

Disability rights activist Steven Laperrière says organizations rarely raise funds for individuals but that these sorts of initiatives can be helpful considering the steep cost of an adapted car.

"You have the cost of the van, you have to add $20,00 to $25,000 for the adaptation of the van … the moment you use a wheelchair as a means of mobility, you have no choice but to have that," said Laperrière, director general of the Regroupement des activistes pour l'inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ).

"If you don't have your adapted vehicle for your son or for yourself, it makes it very difficult to move around, especially if you're in a region where adapted transit is not that great."