Reshaping Andrea's World
Andrea
Age: 6Lives with: Spina Bifida, the improper formation of the spine and spinal cord, and Hydro Encephalopathy or “Water on the Brain”
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Andrea is a bright, friendly child who loves her dog, Lilly. She lives with spina bifida and hydro encephalopathy. Andrea frequently has seizures and needs constant monitoring. Unable to walk, she uses a wheelchair to navigate her world.
Andrea’s mother recently lost her job due to the pandemic, and they need our help to make their house an accessible home.
This project was successfully completed on May 21st, 2021!
For Andrea, we began building a completely accessible bathroom in her basement in January, and the we completed the installation of a chair lift in May.
Keep reading for more project details, as well as more information about this bright-eyed little tyke.
We Reshaped Andrea’s World! Please help us help our next ARK Kid and visit our donate page today!
Andrea's Project Updates
The ARK Project team has been hard at work Reshaping Andrea’s World.
Spearheaded by our amazing partners over at Shift Accessibility, Andrea’s new fully accessible bathroom is well underway.
We broke ground the week of January 18th, doing the concrete work, drainage, framing and the rough-ins for the electrical and plumbing. The following week brought glowing approvals from the City Inspectors and the beginning of the drywall installation.
The early days of February saw the finishing of the drywall and preparing for the new countertop.
So it’s full steam ahead!
The end of February brought some exciting news… we ordered the chair lift from 101 Mobility! Andrea’s new ride should arrive in 6-8 weeks.
In the mean time, we’ve kept busy. The final electrical and pluming installations have begun, and the tile installation is complete!
Way to go team!
As March marches on, so does Andrea’s Project!
Everything’s beginning to really come together!
We finished the grout, tile and the electrical. The plumbing and the millwork are right behind them!
Below there are great shots of the new wet-room and the storage bench and vanity areas.
The beginning of the end...
As the final touches are being put on Andrea's new bathroom, she helps out by showing exactly where things need to be to make it fully accessible for her.
She's not going to slow down until it's done! Maybe not even then...
Volunteers Make it Happen
Here is our very happy ARK Kid with Occupational Therapists Fatima and Christine. These ARK volunteers lend their professional skills to make sure that Andrea's accessibility needs are met.
ARK relies on dozens of volunteers like them to Reshape Their Worlds!
Andrea is blown away by the results!
Last… But Certainly Not Least!
Thanks to a generous discount from the folks at 101 Mobility and an incredible donation of $10,000 from the Calgary Children’s Foundation, we were able to install a chairlift for Andrea.
This amazing piece of equipment will give Andrea the ability to access her new bathroom with greater independence and take a load off her parent’s backs, literally!
Installed over the course of two days, this marks the completion of Andrea’s Project!
But the fun is just beginning….
Let's help the next ARK Kid Together!
Please consider becoming a part of the ARK community!
Know someone who should be our next ARK Kid? Nominate them today!
You could also consider becoming a sponsor or simply click on the link below to donate.
Or if you just want to have fun while getting to experience the tangible good you can do in this world, you should volunteer and become an ARKie!
Anyway you decide to help helps us Reshape Their World!