Little Nolan Rooms may be facing some serious challenges in his life but father Christian has described the receipt of a new family vehicle – courtesy of the Cowboys Gift Fund – as “life changing” for his young son.
Nolan, 4, has cerebral palsy, which severely limits his mobility. Christian and wife Nicole also have two younger sons – Caiden, 18 months, and Samuel, 6 months – and the family faces daily challenges with Nolan unable to walk or feed himself, among other tasks.
But with the help of the Gift Fund, in conjunction with key partners Coca-Cola Amatil and the Cowboys Leagues Club, the Rooms family were today presented with a brand new Toyota Tarago People Mover. It has been fully modified to be wheelchair-equipped to assist Nolan and his family.
“This is just unbelievable … I was gobsmacked when we learned that we had been successful with our application for help through the Cowboys Gift Fund,” Christian said.
“While Nolan is still small, he is growing and carrying him everywhere was getting more difficult. But now we’ve got this wheelchair and new vehicle fully kitted out … it will be a tremendous help to us and will greatly improve the quality of our son’s life.
“We are so appreciative of this extremely generous gesture.”
Cowboys Gift Fund chairman Wayne Nicholson said the gifting of the car was the charity’s largest ever single donation, the total value approaching $90,000.
“The need was so dire for this inspirational North Queensland family and we are thrilled to have been able to help,” Nicholson said.
“We owe a huge debt of thanks to Coca-Cola Amatil, the Cowboys Leagues Club and Toyota.”
Nolan and his parents visited North Queensland Toyota Cowboys HQ today to take ownership of their new family wheels, with General Manager – Football Peter Parr and 2015 Premiership-winning winger Kyle Feldt also on deck for the handover.
“It’s always humbling to see young children like Nolan faced with significant challenges in life,” Parr said. “We’re thrilled to be able to play a part in helping out this young family.”
For more on the Rooms family’s story, visit facebook.com/nolanwillwalk.