Kia Grand Carnival.

Thank you to everyone for your support and enthusiasm about August 4th 2012 (my last blog).
Actually......thank you for you support, advice and friendship on any blog that I write.
It helps me continue staying positive (well most of the time anyway!).

AMELIA Update : Still so happy.
Recently I wrote about a change in her behaviour since she began attending the special school 3 days a week.
The uncontrollable laughing, wicked one liners and happiness she is radiating assures me that the correct decision was made.
The decision to listen to her.
The decision to act on what she wanted.

I now realise that Amelia has been depressed for months.

Every night I stare at her with tears in my eyes.
She is back and I am so proud of her for taking a stand and communicating what she needed.

TOM Update : A bit emotional the last few days.
Will be keeping an eye on him.

SCOTT and AMANDA : Stressed.

We need to get "the ball rolling" for the car, car conversion and electric wheelchair.
The time that it will take to organise ALL and wait for the small amount of funding from the government , is almost a year.
Amelia is showing us that she is ready for an electric wheelchair now.

On the weekend we began the process of looking for a suitable car for a car conversion.
The special school had sent home a list of suitable cars.
Most are vans or mini buses.
Some were WAY out of any reasonable price range.
A lot do not have any air bags in the back for the children.
After our horrendous accident last year (that Tom still has nightmares about) I will never drive again without rear air bags.
I watched our kids bounce onto their air bags.
It was the only thing between them and the bus that collided into us.

So we are left with a Toyota Tarago and a Kia Grand Carnival.
Tarago is about $60,000.
Kia is about $37,000.

To get a car brand new car works out cheaper than buying it second hand.
There are savings to be made by needing a conversion at the initial sale.
Plus we can accomodate the car to OUR families needs.

When we sell our car we will need approx $15,000 to buy a Kia (lets forget about the Tarago now).
Then we will need approx $37,000 to pay for the conversion (the government will pay $10,000 of this).
The conversion includes lowering of the car, installing the rear seats to one side wall and bolting Amelia's chair straight in once it is in position inside the car.
That is just a brief overview.....there is a lot more involved.

Then you still have to get the electric wheelchair.
Approx $17,000 for one suitable for Amelia (the government will pay $8,000).

So......$15,000 + $27,000 + $9,000 = $51,000.

So does anyone know someone that works at Kia ????!!!!!!

xxx