EAST LANSING, Mich. — It's easy to take things for granted in life, especially things part of our every day routine. For example, being able to walk into our home bathrooms.
For one family in East Lansing, it's anything but simple and routine, and that's when a former teacher decided to help.
Jaslene Jaimes is surrounded by a community of love and support, including her parents and former teacher Renee Olance.
“This particular family became my own," Olance said. "When you meet Jaslene, you just know right away how special she is.”
But in some ways, as Jaslene gets older, life gets tougher. Jaslene was born with a medical condition that's affecting her physical ability.
“When she was younger, she was able to walk, she was ambulatory. She used to walk, she used to run, she loved to play on the monkey bars," Paty said. "Around 2018, she got sick with the flu, and that is when a lot of what we see today started emerging.”
A year after Jaslene got sick, she had to have surgery and was moved to a wheelchair with more support.
When Paty and her husband purchased their first home in 2022, they ran into some hurdles.
“It was impossible to find a home within budget because, of course, you're also financially constrained within a budget that we could afford, that was 100% wheelchair accessible,” Paty said.
The couple found a ranch-style home and were able to make some modifications to fit most of Jaslene's needs but not all.
“It has the open-space concept. We're able to put ramps, and for the most part, it really does work for Jaslene," Paty said. “However, the bathroom, the bathroom is the one place that is not accessible at all.”
The wheelchair Jaslene uses doesn't fit in their 1954-style bathroom getting stuck in the doorway. Her parents created a safe way to transfer Jaslene into the bathroom for the time being, but after her most recent back surgery, the transfer method is no longer safe.
“I was broken inside because I thought like, my little girl needs a bathroom," Paty said. "She's not going to be able to access the bathroom in her house when she comes home from surgery, and I don't know what I'm going to do.”
Paty tried to acquire funding to remodel the bathroom to be ADA accessible, but she had no luck.
“It was just one roadblock after another roadblock after another roadblock, and I went in so hopeful,” she said
But for roadblock Paty experienced, Olance, Jaslene's teacher, was always there for support.
"Every time I went to, to somebody and did my advocating, she was there," Paty said. "She was cheering me on, supporting me. She saw everything.”
“It's her right," Olance said. "She deserves to have a bathroom.”
Olance started a GoFundMe for Jaslene and her family to construct a new bathroom.
“I just said, we have to make this work," Olance said. "I absolutely am. This is going to be my full-time job, and I have to figure out how to help her get a bathroom.”
Right now, Paty and her husband have adjusted to not using the bathroom and instead using a transportable shower. However, Olance says it's important for Jaslene to be able to have a bathroom and some privacy, so she's hoping to raise enough money for her to get back to a normal routine.
Olance hopes to create a space for Jaslene again. And when asked how she would feel if she was able to get a new bathroom, Jaslene said she would feel very happy and safe.
“Imagine not being able to access the bathroom in your own house. For a lot of people, that's, that might be really hard to comprehend, but it is a reality that we live every day, and so big takeaway is accessibility and the importance of it," Paty said. "The importance of not giving up and maintaining your hope that things will, you know, things will happen.”
Paty said they're hoping to construct a wet bathroom with an open concept and wider doorway for Jaslene's wheelchair but need a little help to get to their goal.
A link to the GoFund Me for the Jaimes' family can be found here.
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