PAST RECIPIENTS
AIDAN AND GUS GARCIA
March 2022 Completed Project
Father and Son, Gus and Aidan Garcia (12),
receive their brand new wheelchair accessible van
with Board Members Secretary Lynn Brown and Founder John Ludwig
Despite the lengthy process, Muriel’s Angels, along with Aero Mobility and the regional center, have successfully secured a brand new van and its conversion for Aidan and his father, Gus.
Aidan is a 6th grade student at the Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos. Because of his cerebral palsy, Aidan is confined to a wheelchair. Aidan’s parents are divorced, and he spends 50/50 time with each of them. His father, Gus, a single parent, often has to forgo work to take Aidan to school, doctor’s appointments, or other events. With his brand new wheelchair accessible van, these trips have become much more manageable.
In fact, within the first week of receiving their van, Aidan has already expressed his excitement to visit his uncle in Vegas! Indeed, the Charity is happy to help Gus and Aidan manage their transportation challenges.
Below is a message from Gus Garcia:
ALI FAMILY
In December 2021, just a day before Christmas Eve, Muriel's Angels presented a full-sized wheelchair accessible van to the Ali Family, in Aero Mobility, Anaheim Hills. The Family has two children, Hamzah (21) and Massoud (11) who have cerebral palsy. Both are students at Hope School.
The van presentation was attended and supported by the Charity's board members, Dale Hight, Thomas Smith, Jay Mills, Ray Escobedo, and founder John Ludwig. Hope School liaison, Teresa, and Massoud's teacher, Andrea, were also there to spread holiday cheer!
The new van was donated by the Charity at absolutely no cost to the family!
NAYELI
Just a few days before Christmas 2021, Muriel's Angels was able to present a brand new wheelchair to Hope School student, Nayeli. Nayeli and her family, with the help of the Hope School team, have long been looking to replace her wheelchair which has been through a lot of wear and tear. It has been used to the point that the wheels have started to come loose and became a safety concern especially during transportation via district buses. Without the aid of insurance and financial means, Nayeli had to make do with her old wheelchair. Thankfully, Muriel's Angels and Hope School worked together to secure her a new one just in time for Christmas!
Watch Muriel's Angels in Action in this Coverage of Andrew's Van Delivery!
ANDREW PORRAS
In August 2021, we presented a full-sized van to Hope School student, Andrew Porras, and his lovely family. We are grateful for the support of Dale Hight, General Manager of Aero Mobility, and Louie LeMonnier, Principal of Hope School, for making this project possible. Huge shoutout to Lynn Brown, Secretary of Muriel's Angels, and Miss Jessica, Andrew's therapist, for joining us in this event.
It delights us to hear that Andrew is now ready to go everywhere!
RAMIREZ FAMILY
In May 2021, Muriel's Angels, with the help of Aero Mobility, presented a full-sized van to the Ramirez Family. They have three children, Anthony (6), Nathan (7), and Ashley (13) with muscular dystrophy, and the van has been customized to accommodate their wheelchairs.
Below are a few words from Miguel Ramirez of the Ramirez Family:
PEREZ FAMILY
Sandra Perez is probably one of the cutest and smartest little 12-year-old girls you will ever come across. Little Sandra was born with Spinal Bifida Hydrocephalus, a condition where the spinal column fails to develop properly resulting in damage to the spinal cord and the nervous system. The hydrocephalus condition requires a shunt to drain excess fluid from the brain, usually for life.
SANTOS FAMILY
In October 2020, Muriel's Angels, with support from Aero Mobility gifted a customized van for the Santos Family. Maria and Samantha Santos both suffer from Muscular Dystrophy and are confined to their wheelchairs. Their new van is equipped for both wheelchairs.
From Angel:
"I'm very grateful for this wonderful gift to my little ones. It is a great relief for me and the rest of the family to no longer have to lift and transport the girls individually to the doctors and other appointments that occur regularly."
ANDRE
Andre was a previously healthy and vibrant 3 year old boy who enjoyed playing basketball, baseball, watching Stephen Curry, and watching Paw Patrol until he caught the flu and it caused swelling on his brain causing him to develop Acute Necrotizing Encephalapthy which is very rare and not very common. Andre is one of the first African American cases of this nasty disease caused from the influenza virus. This disease has a very high mortality rate only 30% of people survive and were blessed to say Andre is part of the 30%! Andre spent 11 days in Valley Children's PICU and 2 months in rehab. Due to his illness Andre cant eat food by mouth currently and has a G-tube, he is also unable to walk and almost completely non ambulatory so I have to lift him and his wheel chair in and out of the car EVERYDAY multiple times a day because we have multiple appointments each week.
The family was attempting to raise money to get a wheelchair accessible van so that they did not have to lift Andre in and out of the car. Andre weighs 50 plus pounds and a wheelchair-accessible van would take a real load off of the family and help make things more accessible when transporting him. Muriel’s Angels stepped in and provided Andre and his family with the needed wheelchair accessible van. See the links below for the news coverage.
ZACHARY
Zachary is an 18 year old child who is wheel chair dependent. His mother Debbie has been caring for him for many years. She has been lifting and transporting him in a vehicle that was not wheel chair accessible. Muriel's Angels was able to provide this family a Christmas gift of a wheel chair accessible van. This van will improve Zachary and Debbie's quality of life.
From Debbie:
"I am filled with gratitude that Muriel's Angel's was able to provide an accessible van with a ramp for my son Zachary's transportation. I was unable to afford such a van because State and Federal funding does not apply for a van purchase. It was a blessing when I received a call from Hope School informing me that a charity, Muriel's Angels, could possibly help in providing me, at no cost, the van I needed for Zachary's transportation. The organization worked with me over several weeks while I tried to overcome several hurdles and even driving the van several times to North Orange County to accommodate my schedule. I feel as though God has answered my prayers. Thank you John and the Board and with much gratitude I sincerely hope you charity has continued success helping families who have similar needs."
- Debbie and Zachary
LOGAN
Logan is a developmentally delayed, wheelchair reliant boy with hypotonia and seizures. He lacks a specific diagnosis as to the cause of the seizures and delay other than a portion of his brain being underdeveloped. He attends Hope School. His family was unable to pay for a specially adapted wheelchair. Muriel's Angels was able to provide the needed funds to Logan's family to improve his quality of life.
From Logan's Mom:
"My son Logan desperately needed a wheelchair that fit him properly. Even with private insurance, the deductible costs related to purchasing or modifying a chair were too overwhelming. John and his team at Muriel’s Angels were able to provide the aid to make the modifications possible. Not only were they willing to assist with the related funds, but they were persistent in helping Logan in any way possible to get him what he needed. They were continually prompt and responsive throughout the difficult process of dealing with the wheelchair company and the insurance. It is such a blessing to have been put in contact with this spectacular organization that is committed to helping those who cannot help themselves."
RILEY
Riley was an 11 year old child who was the impetus for forming Muriel's Angels. He he was born with DiGeorge Syndrome (Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome), a combination of very severe heart defects called Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia and Major Aorto Pulmonary Collateral Arteries, end stage kidney failure, and multiple other medical issues. Unfortunately Riley passed away in 2018. His legacy lives on through Muriel's Angels. For more information about Riley and his family please follow their Facebook Page, Prayers for Riley Cole.
Testimonial Riley's Family:
"Okay guys, we have had some exciting news to share, but we have been trying to keep quiet until we knew that it was definitely happening. With all of the terrible things going on in this world, here, let me restore your faith in humanity. Riley's Dad made friends with this wonderful man through work, who uses a wheelchair like Riley. They got to talking about Riley and all of his challenges and this amazing and selfless man, along with a group of his friends, decided to get together, working with a company that provides wheelchair accessible vans and donate this van to Riley and our family. It is fully wheelchair accessible, and equipped with a ramp and tie downs for Riley's wheelchair. This is going to be life changing for us, as Riley is getting pretty difficult to lift and move around. We get to go and pick up the van tomorrow! God bless these incredible people who came together to do this for us!"