On Centre: Bald Eagle Area

New wheels would expand boy’s world

Chris Rosenblum

No longer does the driver's side window roll up.

Photo provided

Joey Read, 14, of Union Township, is about to start his freshman year at Bald Eagle Area High School.

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But that's the least of the 1989 Ford Econoline van's problems. It's got a shaky transmission, the electrical systems work sometimes, and the interior is falling apart. There's no heat or air conditioning.

Worst of all, Joey Read can’t ride in it easily — restricting an already limited life.

Joey is 14, about to start his freshman year at Bald Eagle Area High School.

He’ll do so in a motorized wheelchair.

For 10 years, he has lived with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a severe form of the genetic disease.

“He pretty much needs assistance with whatever he does, and it just continues to get progressively worse,” said his aunt, Christy Wellar, who lives next door to him in Union Township.

She wonders if there’s a better ride for him out there.

His van has an old power lift, but not much else going for it. The sole passenger seat is up front. Joey’s chair is too small for the spartan rear, Wellar said, and it’s awkward for him to get in and out even with the lift.

Consequently, he goes out only when necessary. No shopping. No trips with friends.

“It’s not very comfortable,” Wellar said. “Sometimes, it doesn’t even get you to point B.”

Maybe, Wellar thinks, maybe she can raise enough money for a decent used van with a lift. Perhaps someone has one to sell. Then her nephew could see more places, have more fun beyond online games and chats.

Then her sister-in-law could catch a break.

Sue Read is a single mother of three who works as an administrative assistant for a local company. Her other sons, 20 and 21, have moved out — the younger in school, the oldest working.

After the bills are paid, Wellar said, her sister-in-law has nothing to spare for another vehicle.

The van has been Read’s daily driver for a year, since it replaced a minivan totaled in an accident. It’s “a piece of junk,” she said, but she could live with her lemon, bum window and all, if it were just about her.

But there’s her Steelers fan, her good-natured goodwill ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He can’t go anywhere with his cousins and aunt. He needs something else.

“It would be very nice for us to have a van so that we could travel with him,” Read said.

Wellar is looking into setting up a fund for Joey, and hopes to organize benefit events, such as a school dance or a community motorcycle ride.

In the meantime, anyone interested in helping can contact her at 353-0169 or clwellar@verizon.net. Wellar wishes she could just go ahead and buy another van herself, make her beloved nephew happy.

“If I could, I would, but I can’t,” she said. “So what could I do to help? This is what came to my mind.”

Chris Rosenblum writes about happenings in the Bald Eagle area. Send him news at crosenbl@centredaily.com or call 231-4620.