Holy wow! Malakai (my wonderful, brilliant intern) has really impressed the heck out of me in so many ways. He’s UNSTOPPABLE! He’s a black, quadriplegic trans man who is in his last year of graduate school. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was a baby and has only known a wheelchair. He’s written a book called, “Super Me”, which depicts the adversities he’s faced growing up and the ones he still faces today. (https://www.amazon.com/Super-Me-Becoming-through-Choosing/dp/B0CM2N8FYH)
He started a fundraiser when he first began his internship with me last year to raise money for a wheelchair accessible car/van. He found out just how difficult it is to get to the office and to medical appointments in the 110+ degree desert heat and realized he needed transportation.
Also last year he was told not to use his wheelchair for almost 6 months because he was given a chair with faulty tires and didn’t realize it. One day on the way to work he got stuck in the sand because of the flat tires, which the medical wheelchair representatives told him weren’t flat. In fact, they were not just flat, they were the wrong tires for the wheelchair. No chair and no vehicle to get to work makes going to school and doing an internship a bit difficult for someone with physical limitations. (Not to mention the toll it takes on one’s body to be in bed all day.) Good thing he has a supportive and cute supervisor who helps instead of hinders.
Malakai has now raised over $50,000+ for a wheelchair accessible car/van. This has been done by mostly a bunch of small donations. $5 here and $10 there sure adds up. I hope that you also consider donating because he deserves more than just the basic wheelchair accessible car/van. I’ve gotten so much feedback from his clients and witnessed how caring he is with them in person. Yesterday, he led a trans support group for our small practice and the people love him. He deserves a car/van with all the bells and whistles and not just the basic bitch, least of everything vehicle. I hope he surpasses his goal and gets to travel up and down the coast in his new car. (On his days off of course).
I encourage you to donate. If he raises money past his goal, it will be utilized for monthly car insurance and other maintenance/gas/charging/etc. He deserves it. Despite or in spite of all the trials and tribulations he faces- he’s UNSTOPPABLE!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-malakai-get-an-accessible-vehicle
With Love,
The Happy Homo
PS OMG OMG OMG and it’s JLo movie release day! This is the only reason I renewed my Prime membership. 🙂
PSS Malakai also has hopes to be on the Drew Barrymore Show (as a Drew Gooder) and would love to get some help from the Queer Eye peeps with professional clothing. He deserves it- he’s a good human being. He’s also obsessed (in the happiest way possible) with Karamo. Karamo meeeeeet my intern! He looks up to you in so many ways!
