Funds needed to help Lunas

FORT MADISON – Everyone in Fort Madison either knows John Luna or his wife Cathy Luna.
Everyone knows that John was born with a form of dwarfism. And everyone knows the couple has lived a life of service and dedication to others.
Most know that John retired from the City of Fort Madison Parks & Recreation department in 2016 and that Cathy was in the child care industry.
What many don’t know is the two are looking for help with the purchase of a Toyota van that has been customized to allow John to take his 400 lb. electric chair right into the van and secure it.
The van was purchased by long-time Luna friend Renee (Cagle) Clippert, after hearing of the struggles the Lunas were facing just getting John into the previous vehicle they had.
Cathy would have to help John slide with a board from his previous regular wheelchair into the seat of the vehicle. A process that would regularly result in, at a minimum, starting over and over if John started to slide off the board, to him actually falling off the board and onto the ground.
“We had that happen where I just slid off and onto the ground and there was no one around,” John said. “And then I just heard this voice and someone was there to help.”
But the couple were alarmed at that point, because Cathy is no longer capable of lifting John back onto the board should he fall off.
But now that terror is no longer a reality as the van sits warmly in the garage at the bottom of a small wooden ramp that runs from the back porch of the Luna home, to the side garage door. A ramp that also needs replaced.
Luna can run his electric chair over some small threshold ramps out the back door, down the ramp, through the garage door, and around the front of the beige Toyota full-size van to the side door. With the push of a button the van’s suspension drops and a black metal ramp protrudes mechanically from the base of the vehicle and drops onto the ground.
Luna’s chair can run up the ramp and then he can steer it with a small joystick on the chair’s arm into position where the front passenger seat would normally be.

Cathy then secures the chair with four straps that are attached to mini winches on the floor of the van.
An upgrade would be to install a metal rod on the floor that would catch with an attachment on the chair to anchor the chair. A seatbelt is, and would still be, required.
After hearing how the Luna’s situation was getting John around outside the home, Clippert and some friends began a search for a vehicle to assist the couple.
After several months of searching they found a vehicle in Des Moines. Brand new, the vans are between $80,000 and $120,000, but the vehicle they found had a $40,000 price tag. Clippert said she financed it immediately for the Lunas.
Clippert and her friends have contributed to the cost of the van, but she is looking for an additional $10,000 to pay off the van, rebuild the ramp, possibly install a remote start on the vehicle, and potentially add the new anchor system.
The ramp was built by Mike Roach about five years ago, but won’t withstand the weight of Luna’s electric chair for long. She wants to have a new metal ramp installed as soon as possible.
John has had multiple surgeries and rehabilitation stints over the years, including metal bracketing in his neck and back, as the spinal stenosis associated with his condition tightens up his posture. His spine is basically fused together at this point after all the surgeries. Rehabilitation took place in medical facilities for about a year and now takes place at the hands of Cathy in the couple’s home.
“I hold a gate belt and carry a chair and that’s how we walk. If he starts to slip down, I just put this small wooden chair under him to catch him and we start over,” she said.
Cathy is now the sole care provider for John as medical benefits following the surgeries have timed out.
John spends most of his day in the chair working with puzzles and Words with Friends and other games to keep his mind sharp. He also does exercises in the chair and in his bed in the morning to keep what flexibility is possible.
Those who wish to help the Luna family by providing funds to help pay off the van can do so by making donations on PayPal @ReneeClippert309 or Venmo @Renee-Clippert-2. Checks can also be sent to 7610 Wistful Vista Drive, Unit 102, West Des Moines IA 50266. Clippert said any donations will be immediately forwarded to the balance on the van and then any additional funds will be used for the other upgrades.