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Fundraiser to help family buy wheelchair-accessible vehicle

The Horry Independent - 7/21/2017

A local minister and a Myrtle Beach businessman have joined forces to make a tough situation better, and they're asking the Carolina Forest community to help.

Stuart and Heather Royalls, who pastor 180 Degrees Church in Forestbrook, and Tom and Paula Suriano, who own Suriano Homes, want to help Walkers Woods residents Joe and Julie Kleman get a wheelchair-accessible vehicle to help them care for their son Josh.

On March 29, 2015. Josh had a bizarre skateboarding accident at Anderson University where he was a 20-year-old sophomore and cheerleader, and suffered severe brain trauma as a result.

The theatre major had just handled the sound and lights behind the scenes for the Freshman Showcase and performed with the step team.

During the next five months, Josh had 16 surgeries, and at one point was considered brain dead. But his parents are convinced that their solid rock faith ? Joe is the pastor of God First Ministries, a small home-based fellowship ? kept him alive.

Joe is also a nurse at Coastal Cancer Center, working three days a week. Julie does bookkeeping at Grand Strand Irrigation one day a week, and that pays for Josh's massage therapy, and for someone to help her in the house.

The couple also has an older son, Joey, who works three jobs, and is leaving for boot camp in the fall.

"And even with all that, he comes and sits with Josh to give us a break, and will pick up groceries or dinner when we need help," his mother says.

Two and a half years after the accident, Josh is still progressing, and while that's happening in baby steps, the family calls each step a blessing, and sometimes a miracle.

Josh can pick up food from a plate and take it to his mouth. He can hold a drink. One day when his mother says he wasn't getting enough attention, he yelled "Hey."

In October, a woman asked Joe what she should pray for specifically, and he said he'd love to see his son smile. Ten days later, Josh did exactly that.

"That was huge for us," Joe says.

These days, he pulls himself up by grabbing onto his Dad's shirt, and laughs out loud.

On the family's short list of goals for Josh is for him to be able to indicate 'yes' or 'no' and to communicate at some level.

"We don't know when he's hungry or thirsty or if something hurts," his mother says.

Royall, who has coffee with Joe every week to talk and pray, felt led to pray for a vehicle that would help the family transport Josh easier than they're doing now.

Julie explains what the current process is like with their 2011 Toyota Camry.

"We have to strip his wheelchair down to the bare bones, and half of it goes in the trunk and the other half goes in the back seat.

"Then Josh sits in the front seat, and Joe drives while I sit in the back seat.

"At the destination," she says, "we take everything out and put it back together, and then Joe and I do whatever we have to do. Then we start all over."

"It's a full day to take him to the doctor or out to dinner, and it's nap time when we get home," her husband says.

The couple doesn't complain, and they didn't ask for a new vehicle.

"God has provided everything we need and we make do with what we have," Julie says. "We don't need anything because if anything comes up, God provides.

"It wasn't on our radar to pray about a vehicle, we just ask Him to provide what we need for what He wants us to do. Then these guys came along, and the vehicle came up."

Royalls went to Suriano with the idea, and with the help of friend and neighbor Jeff Whiteis, who owns JW Designs, a fundraiser was established to raise money for the wheelchair-accessible vehicle.

"The day [the Klemans] arrived home, I immediately knew that Josh, and of course Joe and Julie, had a long road ahead of them," Whiteis says. "Never once has Joe or Julie complained about their situation.

"Julie has been a wonderful caretaker of Josh, and provides him with the best loving, nurturing and of course, cooking, that money can buy.

"Joe's attitude, and his actions, grab my attention constantly. Whether it's taking him for walks, carrying him into the pool for therapy, or simply helping Josh with stretching, Joe's love and dedication to his son is both unmistakable and unconditional."

To read Josh's story or to donate, use the link #DriveForJosh Fundraiser by Suriano Homes. Checks made out to 180 Degrees Church should be mailed to 612 Boone Hall Road Myrtle Beach SC 29579, with "drive for Josh" in the memo line.

Royall says he turned to Suriano for help because the businessman has "more connections and influence that I have.

"I have the burden to pray, and he has the burden to spearhead the fundraiser."

With a four-door converted pick-up truck, Josh wouldn't have to sit in the front seat, which is dangerous because of the potential of an airbag deploying.

Joe wouldn't have to lift his 145-pound son in and out of a vehicle, and wouldn't have to lug the wheelchair, which at its base alone is 75 pounds.

"Josh would be so much more comfortable in his own space," his mother says, "instead of us trying to modify for the moment. Now, everything is about modifying for the moment."

In addition to making life easier for the family, the vehicle would extend their ministry. They've already been asked to share their story of hope and victory at other churches and even other states.

But, long car trips are out of the question for Josh in the family car.

"You know, these people aren't miserable," Royall says. "They've been through a lot, but they want to tell their story."

"If 1,000 people gave us one dollar each?"Tom Suriano says, and his wife Paula continues his thought.

"We claim to be a small community, but we are huge when we step up to help our neighbors," the Carolina Forest resident says.

Julie suggests that if someone isn't able to give financially, she'd be grateful if they'd pray.

In the meantime, she doesn't question why this happened to her son. She questions only why her family is so blessed.

"Scripture is very clear, God says "I am," and how could I question why this happened? It happened, and we have to deal with it.

"We're ordinary people, we're not famous, and for Him to choose our family to glorify Him?how much better can that get?" she says.

"This is a tragedy, but when we have children, they don't belong to us. God gave Josh to us and he's a gift."

Whiteis says, "I have certainly witnessed a set of loving and caring parents that, even with the unfortunate set of circumstances, have used those circumstances to glorify God, and have remained strong, patient, and absolutely grateful for the support the community has extended to them, and to Josh.

"If you want to know what it means - what it truly means - to be family, meet Joe and Julie Kleman."