Fresno mother gifted van to help transport 5-year-old son left wheelchair bound after brain damage caused by flu

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Just four days after Christmas a Northwest Fresno mom got a surprise she will never forget.

Kamareia Parrish is mother of 5-year-old Andre Carson.

Two years ago, Andre caught the flu and then a disease called acute necrotizing encephalopathy which causes swelling to the brain.

Since then he has been wheel-chair bound and because of that his mom has been in need of a van to get Andre around.

On Saturday, a Southern California organization called Muriel Angel's along with Scott and Julie Jobinger granted Kamareia that wish.

"Since he got sick I've been overwhelmed with all the support from everybody's given me and it feels good to know people care about me and Andre," Parrish said.

Andre's mom says her son is about 60 pounds and 3'5" tall three foot, five inches tall.

She says having this van is going to make getting Andre in and out of the car a lot easier.

Because the van is nearly 20-years-old and parts for it are hard to find, Andre's family has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to eventually purchase a new wheel-chair accessible van.