How to repair a broken lifeline?

Imagine one day, as a carefree 12 year old, you are kicking a football with your friends in an Ajijic street. You return home complaining of sore legs and back. Not thinking much of it, mom tucks you into bed for the night. The next morning you awake to find you are having difficulty swinging your legs out of bed. By the end of the day you cannot move your legs at all, have lost control over bodily functions and can feel nothing from your chest down. I'm not sure it is possible to imagine it.

You may have read an article about Mario Valencia in Ojo del Lago a couple of years ago. Thanks to Niños Incapacitados the family received some money for meds and therapy, but his condition, transverse myelitis, is incurable and only 35% fully recover. In the three years since this happened, Mario has worked diligently on his therapy and can make it very slowly to the corner of the street with a walker. Some feeling has returned, but he still has to wear diapers. His father managed to buy an old golf cart to take him out into the village. Mario developed enough strength in his legs to push the pedals and drive the cart around the village. This was his lifeline to a world outside the four walls of his living room. But then eight months ago, Mario's father died and the family has been struggling since. The batteries on the cart no longer hold a charge and the family could not afford to fix it.

This leaves Mario housebound - his one lifeline to the outside world sits permanently parked outside of his house. Mario lives on my street and I have met him and his family - despite all this, he is a wonderful and polite kid, who is losing his time as a young lad. I committed to help without realizing what it would take or how to do it. So I am making appeals wherever I can. I think we need about $1500 for batteries and a service (and anything left over to make his home life a little more comfortable).

I built a website at prylett.wix.com/help4mario and you can see photos and learn a little more about the situation. You can also donate from the site (via PayPal). If you can offer any help at all, donations, expertise, spreading the word, literally anything that might make this a reality. You can PM me, write me at prylett@msn.com or call me at (376)766-2531 (when TelMex has fixed my phone line). If you want to meet Mario let me know; once you have met him you will realize we have no choice but to help.

Posted on FB

We'll kick in 500 but you'll have to stop by here to pick it up. You can PM us for our address in Ajijic if you wish.

Thank you so much - and I will pick up from anywhere! I will PM you for the address. THANKS AGAIN!

Thank you for your donations - you can see your progress here.... http://prylett.wix.com/help4mario#!progress/c21kz  
If you are a FaceBook user, could I ask a favor and share the link of Mario's story from my timeline to your own timeline? https://www.facebook.com/philip.Rylett    (hope the FB link works - if not just look for me, Philip Rylett, on FB and share the link)
Thank you so much.

We are trying to set up a swarm/fundraiser at Perry's to help Mario.
Stay tuned to the board for a date and time.