NORTHWOOD, Ohio — In November, the Gallup family's van was stolen while at a concert in Detroit. Since then, Detroit Police located the van severely damaged, along with thousands of dollars in medical equipment.
The van was essential to the Gallup family, from Northwood, who needed it to transport their daughter Alivianna, who uses a wheelchair, to doctor's appointments and school, as well as commute to work.
"We're devastated at this point," her father, Michael Gallup, said. "We do have an answer instead of not knowing. Now we can move forward, to figure out how to get her to her appointments and get around."
Alivianna has spinal muscular atrophy, which limits her ability to walk. She also deals with blood clots and recently battled pneumonia.
The family has had to rely on friends and family for all travel, including doctor appointments, which are typically at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus.
"I just don't like using other people's vans and having other people take me places. I'm always so used to my dad," Alivianna said.
But recently, someone connected the family to HelpHopeLive, a Pennsylvania-based fundraising platform designed to help people with medical costs.
"(The money raised) stays for her, for medical things that insurance wouldn't pay for," her mother, Beverly Gallup, said of HelpHopeLive. "It was actually somebody on Facebook that mentioned it to us, that had shared our story and everything."
Now the family is hoping more people see their story. The Gallups said any donation, no matter the amount, will help them.
If you would like to help the Gallup family meet their $20,000 goal for a new van, you can do so by visiting the link here.