Tamaqua boy needs wheelchair, accessible van

A Tamaqua boy with an extremely rare disorder is outgrowing the special car seat used to take him to his medical appointments and other outings.

Cole Noecker, 5, will soon need a wheelchair - and a handicapped accessible vehicle to get him around, said his aunt, Danielle “Danni” McKenzie.

“I know there are generous people out there who have kind hearts,” McKenzie said.

And so, she started a GoFundMe fundraiser called “Give Cole a Handicapped Accessible Van,” and hopes to raise $70,000 toward its purchase.

Just two days in, the fundraiser had collected more than $1,000 for Cole, a boy who’s always smiling - and who makes others happy as he does.

Cole was born with a rare X-linked disorder called Snyder-Robinson Syndrome. The condition is characterized by intellectual disability, muscle and bone abnormalities and other developmental problems.

It’s a condition that impacts one in every 300 million people, meaning Cole is one of only approximately 120 people around the world diagnosed with it.

His parents, Sebastian and Lauren Noecker, learned of the diagnosis when Cole turned 1.

In addition, he also suffers from a rare form of epilepsy.

“He needs ample medical supplies and assistive devices as he cannot walk,” McKenzie explained.

During a recent medical appointment, Cole’s neuromuscular doctor mentioned a wheelchair to his mother.

“He basically advised her to start thinking about the future, because Cole is growing so big,” McKenzie said. “Right now, he is in a medical car seat that helps him, but he will eventually outgrow it. And he’s growing.”

They suggested that the family get a wheelchair accessible van, or a car that can transport wheelchairs.

Knowing that a van or car will come with a hefty price tag, McKenzie decided to start the GoFundMe.

“I wanted to see if that would help in any way at all,” she explained.

Cole will also start kindergarten this year.

McKenzie is hoping the community will rally behind Cole.

“He doesn’t talk. He can’t talk to you, but he is just such a loving and caring soul. He’s so smiley,” she said. “He has such a good personality even if you can’t talk to him, you just know he’s so happy. It’s so wonderful to see him smile or hear him laugh. Even if you can’t talk to him, there is that bond still. It’s unspoken but you know it’s there.”

Emily Vadimsky, who grew up with Cole’s parents in Tamaqua, is also asking people to support the fundraiser.

“Cole truly is the happiest little boy,” she said.

She recalled visiting the family and playing with Cole on the floor. Even though he had a respiratory virus, Vadimsky said Cole was still content.

“The entire time he had a ginormous smile on his face that touched his eyes,” she said.

Search “Give Cole a Handicap Accessible Van” on GoFundMe.