Two years ago, Gosnells Lions Club received a letter from Ivy Marijanich’s aunty, asking if the club could help raise the money for a wheelchair accessibly vehicle.
Despite COVID delays, that letter has finally born fruit for Ivy and her mum Kelsey Gubb, who received her new vehicle from Kia Midland on Monday with a palpable sense of relief.
Ivy was born with Phelan McDermid Syndrome, a rare condition which causes developmental delays, intellectual disability, seizures, and low muscle tone.
The five-year-old also suffers from Partial Trisomy 6q, causing joint contractures and abnormal postures.
While the conditions are a constant battle for young Ivy, it is transport that is – or at least, was until now – a major thorn in Ivy and Kelsey’s side.
“With the car that I had, it meant that I had to take parts off Ivy’s wheelchair to transport it,” Kelsey said.
“The base weighs about 36kg so manually handling that, and then getting Ivy back in to the wheelchair once it’s in the car, it’s difficult, and after doing that for a long time it became daunting, because you know how long it takes and the effort it takes just to pop down to Coles.
“I’ve got two other kids, a nine-year-old and a three-year old, attempting to do literally anything was a monumental task, with no help.”
Gosnells Lions Club president David Spray was first alerted to Kelsey’s struggle in 2020, and was thrilled to finally present Kelsey with her new wheelchair accessible car on Monday.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic to finally get the vehicle for Ivy,” he said.
“We’ve been working on this since 2020, it’s been a long road and COVID caused so many problems, so many delays in getting the car.
“Kia in Midland have re-routed vehicles for us and the whole thing is absolutely fabulous.
“All you had to do is meet little Ivy to know it’s worth it, she took my heart away the second I saw her, I knew this family needed it and I knew the difference it would make and they’re over the moon.”
Kelsey has already used the car to take Ivy to hospital for surgery on her ears, and she said the car was a dream come true.
“The Lions club have been incredible and it’s just such a relief to finally have the car” Kelsey said.
“It’s life changing for my children first and myself, it means our lives and our accessibility to the community … it changes every single factor for myself and my children.”
