Teaneck, NJ – Orthodox Mom Of Disabled Kid Asks For Jewish Community’s Help In Winning Handicapped Accessible Minivan

New Jersey – A Teaneck mother of four children with muscular dystrophy is turning to the public, hoping that their votes will help her win a wheelchair accessible minivan so that she will be able to transport all of her children simultaneously, something she currently cannot do.

Esther Herzfeld, an English teacher at Maayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck, explained that until ten years ago, she was the mother of four healthy children. Over time each one of the Herzfeld children began falling and were diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, leaving the family to scramble to fill the many needs that have arisen. Of the Herzfeld’s three daughters, two can barely walk and the third walks with a pronounced waddle and falls frequently. The Herzfeld’s only son has been unable to walk for the past four years.

“We have had to put in a stair lift, a ramp and a generator because after Hurricane Sandy we could barely get the kids out of the house,” Mrs. Herzfeld told VIN News. “We need lift equipment and a bathroom for them, but the most pressing need is a van,”

Currently, two of the Herzfeld children, who range in age from 14 to 23, get around on motorized, battery powered scooters, priced at $2,500 each. The family’s health insurance covers very little of the specialized equipment that the Herzfeld children need. Ironically, the Herzfelds made annual donations to the Muscular Dystrophy Association for years in honor of their children’s good health.

“My husband had contacted them but they said all they could do was lend us a motorized chair for three months,” said Mrs. Herzfeld. “I asked them where all the money that is donated goes to and they said it goes for research. Maybe one day it will help my children but right now there are things we need.”

The Herzfelds had previously been the recipients of a donated handicapped accessible van.

“It sat in our driveway for six months and we got it to work four times,” recalled Mrs. Herzfeld. “One time I used it to take my son to the physical therapist but when I got there the ramp wouldn’t open. Three men from the physical therapist’s office had to come out and jiggle the ramp to get it down so that we could get my son out.”

Mrs. Herzfeld said that the last time her whole family traveled together in a car was in January, 2014, going to her niece’s wedding.

“Getting everyone in took maybe half an hour or 45 minutes and when we got to the wedding my sister had a team of friends who were there to get everyone out,” said Mrs. Herzfeld. “They helped us get the kids back into the van at the end of the wedding, but on the way back it rained, snowed and sleeted and when we got home Teaneck was a sheet of ice. My husband and I were falling all over and it must have taken us an hour to get the kids into the house.”

The Herzfelds are hoping that a contest run by the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association may be able to provide them with the vehicle of their dreams.

The campaign, timed to coincide with National Mobility Awareness Month, will award four fully customized wheelchair accessible vehicles to those who struggle with mobility challenges. Submissions sharing stories of “local heroes” are posted on the contest site with the public invited to vote daily for their favorites. A panel of judges will review stories that made the top ten percent based on vote counts and will pick the final winners.

“This van would be a lifesaver,” observed Mrs. Herzfeld. “I have one daughter who is graduating Stern College and we paid for a car service to take her every day for four years. It was like supporting another family. My son is five foot nine and he is dead weight. Picking him up is like trying to pick up a tree trunk. Getting this van would mean we could take our kids to doctor and dentist appointments and would greatly improve the quality of our lives.”

According to Mrs. Herzfeld, her tenth through twelfth grade students have become actively in the campaign.

“They are trying to get out the votes and many of my former students have gotten in touch with me as well,” said Mrs. Herzfeld. “I have heard that we have reached Israel, Australia and South America and it has definitely galvanized the Teaneck community. Often people who know me ask me what they can do to help and I tell them to just daven for my kids but now there is something concrete that they can do we are very, very appreciative.”

Votes can be cast daily through May 31st for the Herzfeld family at http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/esther-herzfeld-teaneck-nj/