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Community generosity heartwarming for Canmore family in need

“We don’t feel like we’re alone anymore."
20210311 Ramon 0016
Ramon Bravo Jr., his parents Ramon Sr. and Katy Stewart and Max Monk, the family's aid are all smiles after the successful GoFundMe campaign on Thursday (March 11). EVAN BUHLER RMO PHOTO

BOW VALLEY – On every road trip for the past few years, an uneasy nervousness clung to a local family whose child doesn’t do well outside for long periods of time.

The fear was always the same. An aging and largely unreliable vehicle at risk of breaking down, or not starting up again after being parked. The wheelchair accessible vehicle was in need of constant care, was rusting through, and becoming way too small to fit the soon-to-be 11-year-old Canmore boy, Ramon Bravo Jr., who’s living with quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

Then the community stepped up.

With a wave of donations, crowd funding and bottle drives, Ramon's family purchased a new, roomier wheelchair accessible van designed with a ramp and mechanisms for easier and quicker access for the growing boy.

“It just seems really surreal, all of it,” said Katy Stewart, mother of Ramon, a cheerful boy who loves to laugh and take trips to the river. “It’s been pretty amazing, it’s been pretty emotional as well just how supportive everyone has been.”

The new specialized van cost in the $60,000 range, and Ramon's father, Ramon Bravo Sr., said that with the community's support it feels like they're going to make it.

"It basically let us know we’re not alone when we felt we were just our only little world here," said Bravo.

Using a GoFundMe account, the family set an ambitious goal of raising $100,000 for Ramon, who’s only two years away from being a teenager and is outgrowing aging adaptive equipment and the family's only vehicle.           

The cerebral palsy affects Ramon’s four limbs. He cannot speak, or eat and walk on his own. He requires round-the-clock care from his family and aid. Ramon communicates with his head, dropping it or turning it from side-to-side for yes and no, or through an eye-tracking device that allows him to digitally respond.

He’s been using the device for home learning during the pandemic, which forced him out of school since March 2020. As an immuno-compromised individual, Ramon has a weakened immune system and is prone to illness.

“All the other kids have gone back to school, so it’s pretty hard on him. He’s been pretty lonely, I think,” said Max Monk, the family’s aid.

It's a very tough life even without the COVID-19 virus to worry about, but the boy with the golden smile has persevered in these trying times.

Then Monk came up with a Hail Mary idea to start an online fundraising initiative.

The old 18-year-old vehicle was primarily used for driving to weekly doctors appointments, so there hasn’t been many day trips or family visits.

As Stewart put it, they were in a “dark place with the van” that couldn't even be trusted to make a trip to Sunshine Village. The family was unsure of what steps they needed to make.

“When Max set the amount [at $100,000], we thought he was being pretty ambitious, but he was like, ‘you have to believe,’ ” said Stewart.

Monk has cared for Ramon for five years – back when the child was so small he barely fit into his wheelchair. Now, Monk's watched Ramon grow and and quickly fill out much of his medical equipment.

The GoFundMe was a long shot, but it was a "now or never" situation, Monk explained to the family.

The fundraiser's end goal also includes enough remaining to purchase more necessities to get him through his teenage years such as a new car seat, home renovations to widen hallways for the wheelchair, and a much-needed sleep positioning system for safety and comfort. The innovative bed is between $13,000-$18,000, depending on features.

Currently, one parent sleeps on the floor beside their son nightly to make sure he does not aspirate while sleeping, or fall off the bed from myoclonic jerks, an involuntary movement.

The sleep positioning system, a bed with moulds and straps, would keep Ramon safely in place.

“We have terrible sleep, we are always tired and exhausted, and I think that once we start having those decent nights of sleep and not having to keep one eye open to keep an eye on him, I think that’ll help improve our way of life,” said Stewart.

The fundraising started last November and had nearly $15,000 donated at the beginning of January.

Around that time, friends of the family organized a three-day bottle drive. The response was immense with 47,000 recyclable units gathered and taken to the Canmore Bottle Depot.

Bottle drives continued through February and March with businesses, locals and classmates contributing.

The bottle depot also continued supporting the cause and set up a separate donation account and bottle drive behind the depot under Ramon’s name.

Tens of thousands of dollars in recyclables and donations came pouring in, and at the end of February, an anonymous donor offered to match an additional $10,000. Within a few weeks, the family had another $20,000 going toward Ramon’s medical equipment.

In just two and a half months, the GoFundMe account shot up $70,000, and sits at around $85,000 – just $15,000 away from its target.

“We don’t feel like we’re alone anymore," said Bravo. "We want to say that very loudly, thank you. It means a lot. Being away from family, it’s nice to know we have complete strangers willing to help you.”

Nearing the $100,000 mark and beyond, the local family is thrilled the community has rallied behind them in their time of need.

The new keys will jingle in the family’s hands at the beginning on April.


Jordan Small

About the Author: Jordan Small

An award-winning reporter, Jordan Small has covered sports, the arts, and news in the Bow Valley since 2014. Originally from Barrie, Ont., Jordan has lived in Alberta since 2013.
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