JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When you see a picture of Candace Ford's 19-year-old daughter, Sydni, you can't help but smile.
"She is joy wherever she is, she exudes joy," Candace Ford told First Coast News Anchor Anthony Austin.
Sydni is in a wheelchair. Every single day, Candace has to physically lift her adult daughter into their van. Something that was easier when she was a child.
"I can feel the pain in my back and my hips, sometimes I hear the popping and that's not a good thing, it's a lot harder now," Candace explained.
Sydni has developmental delays, a seizure disorder, and is being tested for Autism. She doesn't walk at all.
"She'll wrap herself around me, and I'll have to kind of get in the position and lift her up."
Candace is in desperate need of a wheelchair accessible van. Right now, she drives a 2014 Dodge Caravan, and she's been told it's too old to be converted into what she needs.
"I've either been denied or been given the runaround, and it's just become very frustrating."
The single mom and public school teacher says she doesn't have the financial resources to buy a new van. She's also trying to save money to buy a more accommodating house for her daughter.
"The things we do have I'm grateful for, but this would be life changing. It would be a huge Godsend if we were able to get something like that."
Since our story aired, Pastor George Davis with Impact Church has offered to help pay for a new van or the cost of making one wheelchair accessible. Mike Beaver of Beaver Chevrolet is also offering assistance in find a van for this family.
We're close to getting Candace Ford and her daughter, Sydni, a new wheelchair accessible van. But, we need some help. A new van for Candace is $80,000, and Impact Church has committed $40,000 as a matching gift to raise the $80,000 needed to obtain the van.