Disabled First Nation woman to get all-terrain stroller needed to get around on reserve

A disabled First Nations woman confined to her home on a central Alberta reserve will be getting the all-terrain stroller she desperately needs, thanks to the success of an online fundraiser.

After being toldthe $2,500 adult, special-needs stroller would not be paid forby federal or provincial agencies, Mildred House began raising the money through Facebook.

• Dee Dee's wheelchair confines her to home. Her family is fundraising for freedom

"I was expecting for myself to be fundraising for months," said House,whose 31-year-old cousin,DiedreFaye House, fondly knownas Dee Dee is unable to walk or talk because of a brain injury as a baby.

"I didn't think I was going to get the money so fast."

She'd previously run 50/50 draws, raising only $660, but within hours ofaCBCstory about Dee Dee, donations began pouring in. Before the family had the chance to shut it down, they'draised $3,434.

They'veset up a medical equipment consultation forWednesday, which is the first step toward getting the stroller.

"It will help so much,"House said.

She said the extra money will go toward purchasing otheritemsDee Deeneeds that are not covered and beyond financial reach,including a new car seat and potentially,accessories for the stroller, such as a tray.

Any leftover will be put into an account to help Dee Dee with unexpected future expenses, House said.

Still no government support

Dee Dee has a beat up old wheelchair that can't travel beyondthe ramp fromher house, which leads tograss,mud and Paul First Nation's unpaved roads.

Despite that, neitherIndigenous Services Canada nor Alberta Aids to Daily Livingconsider an all-terrain stroller an essential item.

House saidsince Dee Dee's story came out, she has heard from neither agency.

"I hope that when I do hear from them, that they're willing to change things or willing to hear us out on why its a need and not a want," she said.

House said the family is grateful for the support.

"I'd like to say thank you to everybody who helped and donated to our fundraiser. My family greatly appreciates everything," she said.

House was with her aunt, Dee Dee's mother, when she checked the status of the Facebook fundraiser.

"We both kind of just sat their and cried happy tears," she said, adding that when she told her cousin, Dee Dee was elated. "She was just saying, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah!' And she had the biggest smile I've ever seen on her, on her face."

roberta.bell@cbc.ca

@roberta__bell