Anyone who knows Andrew Feenaughty knows he is not someone who lets life slow him down. He is an incredibly talented photographer, a hard worker at 1-Coat Powder Coating in Salem, and an absolute wizard when it comes to cars. In fact, he built an entire racing truck completely on his own from the ground up, and he can fix just about anything with a motor.
Back in 2015, Andrew’s life changed in a split second. Due to a sudden throttle malfunction during a motorcycle ride, he hit a ditch and was ejected into a tree. The accident left him with a T4-T6 spinal cord injury.
While the accident made him a paraplegic, it never broke his drive. Andrew has adapted beautifully. He gets around great in his everyday wheelchair and maintains a level of fiercely independent grit that inspires everyone around him. He does so much on his own, entirely self-reliant.
But as great as everyday wheelchairs are for sidewalks, shops, and garage floors, they have a major limitation: they cannot handle the rugged outdoors.
Andrew loves nature, and more than anything, he wants to be right there alongside me, his kids, and his grandkids when we explore the world. We have so many dreams for the future—we would absolutely love to go hiking together through the beautiful trails of Hocking Hills, and we are already planning a dream trip to the Grand Canyon in a few years.
An off-road wheelchair would completely change the game for him. It would mean he doesn't have to watch from the sidelines or stay back on the paved paths. It opens up the rugged terrain, dirt trails, and steep overlooks so he can fully participate in the active, outdoor family life he loves so much.
Unfortunately, standard medical insurance views specialized off-road or terrain wheelchairs as "not medically necessary" luxury items rather than tools for quality of life, meaning they cover absolutely zero percent of the cost. These specialized chairs are incredibly expensive, and it is a cost we simply cannot afford on our own.
Our goal is $14,000 to cover the cost of getting Andrew this chair and giving him back the freedom to explore the wilderness with the people he loves most.
Andrew has spent years fixing things for everyone else and proving that a diagnosis doesn't define what a person can achieve. Now, we want to help him get over this next hurdle. Any donation, big or small, gets him one step closer to the trails, the woods, and a lifetime of new family memories.
If you aren't able to donate, sharing this link with your network would mean the absolute world to us. Thank you so much for your love, support, and generosity!
