An adoptive Jacksonville mother is asking the community for help making the holiday season brighter for her daughter with special needs.
Katie Rice said her 2-year-old daughter, Ansley, has a host of disabilities including microcephaly, cerebral palsy and seizures. She continues to defy odds, hitting milestones like her first birthday that doctors never thought she would.
To keep that momentum going, the family is hoping to buy a wheelchair accessible van to make sure Ansley makes it to her procedures.
“We call it a ‘fancy’ van,” Rice said. “It allows her to move freely through life, allows us to make appointments and therapies. We have five to 10 appointments and therapies a week. It just allows us to do these things with so much more ease.”
Rice has set up a GoFundMe account to raise $20,000 for a down payment on a van that could cost up to $65,000.
Rice said she was unaware of Ansley’s conditions when she was first born, but knowing what she does now, she wouldn't have changed her decision to adopt her.
Reporter Ryan Benk can be reached at rbenk@wjct.org, at (904) 358 6319 or on Twitter @RyanMichaelBenk.
