BRUNSWICK

Cindy Flavin, a Wiscasset woman and 1989 Brunswick High School alumna, is in need of a new van and former classmates are rallying together to make sure it happens by Mother’s Day. With Facioscapulohumeral and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, Flavin’s van, which includes a wheelchair lift, is her sole means of transportation. However, a busted radiator, oil and coolant leaks and a faulty transmission have contributed to its deterioration this year.

Despite seeking help from government programs that allow 10-year loans for adaptable vans, Flavin, a mother of a college student and a 9- year-old girl, said financing a new vehicle would be challenging as it costs upward of $40,000 to $50,000.

“What we were hoping to do was purchase a van straight out … and add a lift that would go behind my driver’s seat,” Flavin said.

After posting some of her struggles on Facebook, Flavin said her sister-in-law set up a GoFundMe page for her as a “surprise,” which was shared through social media.

The page eventually caught the eye of Flavin’s old high school classmates Kim Edwards and Sara Au, who started brainstorming ways they could help, despite being out of state.

“When I found out that her van was in disrepair, I couldn’t imagine her losing that kind of independence,” Edwards said.

Eventually, the two proposed a Mother’s Day campaign on Flavin’s page, asking 1,000 donors to contribute $30 in 30 days to meet her goal.

Since then, donations have poured in from BHS alumni and parents from all different states and countries like China, Australia and Canada.

Sheila Menair, another BHS classmate, pointed out that $30 is “the price to fill up your car with a tank of gas.”

“Surely you all can donate a tank of gas to help Cindy get the van,” she commented on Flavin’s page. “Let’s fill her up with love.”

After 12 days, $3,350 has been raised out of Flavin’s goal of $30,000. Au also noted that funding had doubled over the weekend.

“There (are) people literally from around the world reaching out to try to help and understanding that if everybody gives a little, we can make it happen for her,” she said.

Donors are also encouraged to leave the name of their mother in the comments, which will be entered into a drawing for the naming of Flavin’s new van.

On Tuesday, Flavin said she was “blown away” by the community response.

“I have to say that when they first started gathering funds for me, I kind of felt like I’m not worthy of this. I know that I have a challenge and I know that it could be a lot worse, and the comments and the support that I’ve gotten from people … I just shake my head and start crying.” She was silent as she tried to compose herself. “It just touches me. Half of the people that donated were people that I never knew cared so much.”

For Flavin, having access to a van is not only important for transportation, but also for her freedom.

“It’s hard when you have to depend on other people because you feel like a burden, and to have that little bit of independence there … would be huge,” she said.

Her husband Jon, a Navy veteran, works 12-hour shifts as a corrections officer, which “makes it a little hard too.”

“Right now, it’s sad because my daughter wants to do all these extra activities at school, and I always have to find somebody to help out with getting her home, getting her to where she needs to be because I couldn’t go on my own,” Flavin said.

While a new van won’t make everything “go away,” Flavin said it would make things “much, much better.”

For more information, or to donate, visit gofundme.com/vanforcindy.

dkim@timesrecord.com