Anonymous Hoover donor gives family wheelchair-accessible van

Thanks to the generosity of an unnamed donor from Hoover, Chelsea residents Michael and Susanne Napp now have a wheelchair-accessible van for their three-year-old son, Bryce.

The van was presented to the Napp family through the Hoover Public Safety Charity Foundation during a ceremony at the Hoover Public Safety Center on April 17. During the ceremony, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis credited an article in the April issue of 280 Living with bringing the Napp’s situation to the donor’s attention.

“[The donor] said, ‘If I can donate the money to purchase the van, can you guys give it to them through your foundation?’” Derzis said. “We said, ‘Absolutely. Not a problem.’”

Derzis then called the Napps to share the good news.

“It didn’t seem real,” Susanne Napp said.

Bryce has semi-lobar holoprosencephaly, a brain condition that will keep him wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life. The article in 280 Living featured the Napp family and their attempts to win a wheelchair-accessible van in a contest sponsored by the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association.

The Napps got to choose the van that best suited their needs. At MobilityWorks, a Bessemer dealership that sells handicap-accessible vehicles, they found a 2012 Honda Odyssey with plenty of room for Bryce’s wheelchair and his siblings.

“It’s going to be so much easier when I’m by myself. I don’t have to lift anything,” Napp said. “It’s going to be just amazing.”

Derzis said the van is valued at $58,000. The Foundation also presented the Napp family with a check for $2,300.

"This is absolutely the biggest moment we've had," Derzis said of the Foundation, "and absolutely our proudest moment."

Though they did not get to meet their benefactor, the Napps are thankful for his kindness.

“We are feeling extremely blessed, humbled and grateful,” Napp said. “We are full of sincere appreciation at how much he helped our family.”

The original contest that the Napps had entered will continue until May 9. With their own need fulfilled, the Napps are encouraging people to vote instead for Cayden Atchison, a four-year-old boy in Calera who suffers from significant brain damage, cerebral palsy, blindness and seizures.

To help Cayden win a wheelchair-accessible van, visit voteforcayden.com.