Slightly Off Topic- With a Special Surprise at the End for Those that Stick it Out!!!

I have been debating whether to go off topic in my blog for a few days now. On one hand I don’t want to annoy any of my readers or lose any readers by posting something that is not related to the wedding, on the other hand, I have a friend who needs a little help and without her, this wedding may have been very different. In fact, it might not have happened at all.

My friend Mary is amazing. Not only is she an elite athlete who has been to several Paralympics and is gearing up for London 2012, she is an amazingly caring and selfless person who would do anything for her friends. After I moved out of the city and away from any means of public transportation, it was Mary who helped me get to and from work. See, Tom drops me off at her place at 6:00 every morning. Once there, I sleep for a few hours and then Mary drives me to work. On the nights I have to work, Mary lets me stay at her place. She drives me to do errands and go to doctor’s appointments. I don’t know what I would do without her. It is this job that allowed me to get off of SSI and legally marry Tom, and helps us pay for our bills. Without Mary, working full time would be difficult.

A few months ago, Mary moved from a small, cramped apartment to a brand new spacious trailer located in a nice part of town. This place was perfect for Mary, but there was one problem, it didn’t have a ramp. A few weeks before moving, Mary got in contact with a local fraternity who agreed to pay for a ramp to be built and installed at her trailer. After a few problems, including bad weather, shoddy building plans, and a discrepancy on cost the frat back out entirely and left Mary rampless.

Fortunately, Mary and I do have some mobility and are able to use the stairs, but it is slow going and somewhat dangerous as we both have balance issues. Right now, Mary is forced to leave her wheelchair and walker in the office because she cannot get them in her house. She needs a ramp badly, but cannot afford the cost.

My friend started a website to help raise money for Mary’s ramp here. Please consider donating a few dollars to help her get a ramp.

http://www.gofundme.com/Mary-Stack-NEEDS-a-Ramp

And just so I don’t disappoint all those wedding fans, I leave you with the song my father chose for our Daddy Daughter dance. It is the perfect choice and oddly appropriate for this post.