The Lions Club of
Berowra
Local Lions Clubs Combine to Help Raise Funds
Ryan Kim is a young boy who wants to go places. The problem is he has been unable to - until recently.
Ryan suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystropy, a progressive, life-limiting disease that causes muscles to deteriorate and break down, leading to progressive difficulty with walking and general mobility. Ryan was diagnosed at four and is now ten years of age, and is now fully reliant on his wheelchair.
While he enjoys the freedom of movement while at school, the problem was that Ryan was forced to leave his electric wheelchair at school as it would not fit into his family's car. This severely limited his independence, quality of life and mental wellbeing.
Touched by Ryan's personality and story, the local community came together to create "Wheels for Ryan", a crowdfunding initiative aimed solely at purchasing and making available a suitable vehicle for the family - a family of six. At at cost of almost $75,900, community assistance and concerned parents and friends raised close to an incredible $55,000.
Needing the additional $21,000 to make the "Wheels for Ryan" project a reality, the Lions Club of Hornsby was contacted to see if might be able to assist. This soon became a Lions Zone Project, where a group of clubs from the local area come together and pool resources to support a particular cause. With the support of the Australian Lions Foundation as well as Lions clubs from within and outside the local Zone - the Lions Clubs of Hornsby, Berowra, Parramatta and Blacktown Ponds - the final amount of $21,00 was raised and donated to the cause.
On Sunday 13 December, 2020, with assistance from Mercedes of Castle Hill, Ryan and his family were presented with a brand new Mercedes family van, complete with rear chairlift. The vehicle will now make life so much easier for the whole family and Ryan can now go places and has the freedom that he so dearly wanted and needed.
