A phrase known to many, patience is a virtue, has been difficult to hear for 26-year-old Molly Lawson.
“I was being annoying on the phone and I called all the time, and they were like, ‘It’s actually here! Just arrived last night’,” says Lawson.
The long-awaited gift didn’t arrive wrapped in a bow, it’s in Lawson’s home because of the community's help.
She was left wondering how she was going to afford a $5,000 standing frame to help alleviate pain from Frederick’s Ataxia, a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy.
Wheelchair bound; Lawson had to leave her job as a social worker.
But after speaking with ABC15 in May, Lawson says, “After it aired, and we woke up in the morning, we were just blown away it was literally overnight, and it surpassed my goal.”
Two months later, Lawson has her standing frame. Her online fundraiser skyrocketed past her goal, to $18,000, with an anonymous donor gifting Lawson with $5,000.
“It was just very amazing of her to do and show that kind of faith and support to someone she never even met,” Lawson says.
The extra money will go toward Lawson’s upcoming surgery. "My foot is pretty screwed up,” says Lawson. “I will need tendon lengthening in my calf, both sides, my ankles, and all five toes.”
With physical and occupational therapy, Lawson is hoping to recover and return to her job within six months. While she’s feeling the immediate relief from the standing frame, it’s also doing so much more.
“I haven’t really stood since I was 18 when I became wheelchair-bound,” says Lawson. “To be able to stand is pretty amazing.”
She says she has a newfound freedom because of ABC15 viewers.
“We’re grateful for you guys for the support and all the donations and well wishes and everything, so thank you guys,” says Lawson.