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Laura Nellen, who was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type III, has undergone countless surgeries throughout her hospital stays and has been fully wheelchair-bound since 2018, she writes in a GoFundMe launched for financial support.
Nellen persevered and earned a B.S. in Chemistry from NYU in 2016 before graduating from Rutgers University with my Doctorate of Pharmacy last year, settling into a Staff Pharmacist role at Morristown Medical Center in December — about two months before tragedy struck, the campaign says.
“On February 3, 2023, when I was driving home from work, due to the cold 5-degree temperatures, my old modified van malfunctioned and ultimately stopped working on I-287, causing the van to swerve across 3 highway lanes back and forth until I could get to the side of the highway,” writes Nellen, of Piscataway.
“I had to have my van towed as the steering modifications no longer worked appropriately.”
Nellen later learned that her van’s modified steering system is discontinued, meaning the vehicle cannot be repaired.
She’s been “stuck at home and unable to go to work, or anywhere,” since the crash, the campaign says.
“I was working with my car insurance to cover the repairs,” says Nellen. “However, they have ultimately denied any claims I placed.”
More than $22,200 has been raised to help Nellen purchase a modified van that will allow her to return to her job as a devoted pharmacist.
“I now am turning to my family, friends, and community members to help me achieve my fundraising goal so that I can afford a new wheelchair-accessible and hand-controlled modified van, return to the job that I love, and be able to achieve the simpler parts of life such as going to family events, or even just the grocery store,” Nellen writes. “Thank you in advance for either a donation or passing this fundraiser on to others!”
Click here to view/donate on GoFundMe.
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