The title of her website was “Help Shawna Drive.”
Mission accomplished.
In January, Oak Harbor resident Shawna Alzina made an impact on the community with her story of personal struggle. When Shawna was 3-years-old, she had knee amputations on both of her legs due to complications from kyphosis and scoliosis. Within the next five years she had 28 surgeries, 30 total throughout her life. She had two major operations to repair and augment her bladder, an open heart surgery to fix holes in her heart, two spinal fusions and a surgery to remove one of her kidneys which was retaining water.
Shawna has been confined to a wheelchair nearly her whole life and has felt limited because of it.
Shawna’s husband, Alex, serves in the Navy and is stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. When he was on deployment, Shawna used to commute to the grocery stores and to other errands via wheelchair which was extremely difficult on wet and muddy days.
Shawna dreamed about getting a specialized van equipped with controls that would enable her to drive so she could feel safer and more independent. But at the steep price of $30,000-plus, she didn’t think that dream would become a reality any time soon.
Shawna created the “Help Shawna Drive” website to tell her story and solicit donations for a vehicle, but as of January 2011, she only had about $900.
Then, the Whidbey Island community got involved. Suddenly donations and support poured in and now Shawna holds the keys to a van.
Shawna and Alex purchased a van for $38,000 from an Everett dealership called Access Mobility Systems. The van came ready for Shawna to drive with ramp access and hand controls.
The couple received about $7,500 in community donations, a $5,561 grant from Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and insurance help with some of the equipment cost. A $10,000 loan covered the rest.
“In the beginning, I don’t think Alex and I had many expectations,” Shawna said. “These vans are very expensive and we if anything wanted to just be able to afford the month-to-month payments on a van. Without the community support there is no way we would have been able to afford a loan as soon as we did.”
Donations came to the Alzinas spanning from Whidbey to Asia.
“So many kind people wrote me through the website and offered their assistance or just kind words,” Shawna said. … “I enjoyed the special notes that people sent alone, or along with a donation and I have saved them all and will save them forever. We even received a donation from as far away as Japan with a $20 bill and a Japanese calender which I have hanging above my computer.
“The fact that people took the time out of their day to wish us well … leaves us both speechless and touched beyond words.”
Shawna is now studying to get her driver’s permit and is learning how to maneuver the hand controls. Though she encountered some challenges, she said it’s all worth it to finally get behind the wheel.
“One hand control controls both brakes and gas, so it is important that I remember which one does which,” Shawna said. “That is a bit intimidating but I am excited to get on the road.”
