By Lorrie Ross
Staff Writer
Just like almost every young adult in America, David Mauchly has been eager to drive his own vehicle for a long time. Yet Mauchly’s dream was bigger than what many young people want. For Mauchly, getting his own set of wheels meant having a customized van which could assist him with driving. It also required room to haul his other set of wheels — the power chair he uses for his everyday life.
Happily, the young Clay County resident got his dream a couple of weeks ago, thanks to the generosity of many people, but also his own hard work. On Thursday, Jan. 30, Mauchly’s dad, Tom Mauchly, shared a post on the Hayesville Community Facebook page with a picture of a smiling David in the driver’s seat of his new van.
Tom started with a thank you. “Dear Hayesville community, I can’t tell you how much this father’s heart has been blessed,” he wrote. “For those of you who contributed to David’s van, thank you. Everything said and done, we raised enough money to completely pay for his van, with enough extra for him to buy new wheels for his power chair. They’re the same price as auto tires.”
The comments in response to Tom’s post reflect how people around Hayesville feel about his son, a popular Ingles employee. Many people said David is a wonderful man.
Wanda Dellinger congratulated him, saying, “I thank you, David, for your kindness and help to me anytime I’ve shopped at Ingles.” She considers him a friend.
Alisa G. Hoerner said David is an inspiration. “He doesn’t let his disability define him. May he have many safe miles in his new van,” she wrote.
Andrea E. Bullock also replied to Tom’s post. “He is such a lovely man. I asked him one day what his tattoo said on his arm and he told me it wasn’t a tattoo. It was the names of people he needed to remember to pray for. What an outstanding human you have raised.”
In October, the Clay County Progress shared a fundraiser link which had been started to help raise the money needed for the special van.
David has Osteogenesis Imperfecta and is confined to an electric wheelchair. He needed a specially-equipped vehicle to assist with driving, so his friends and family started a fund-raiser through Help Hope Live, a nonprofit which helps fund uninsured medical expenses associated with catastrophic illness. They chose Help Hope Live partially because the organization assures fiscal accountability for funds raised, as well as a tax deduction for contributors. All donations are used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses.
In addition to Ingles, where he assists customers with self-scans at the store’s You Scan registers, David has been working at Paris and Co. as a host. He earned an associates degree and wants to be a linguist. “He’s studied several different languages and has even written his own,” the fundraising page shared.
His father, Tom, first shared the fund-raiser on Facebook in September. “David might have brittle bones but his spirit is unbreakable,” he said. “David is a joy to be around; playful, honest and a tad mischievous. North Carolina will fund his van modification, but it must be two years or younger; the vehicle purchase is on David. We found a 2023 with only 6,700 miles on it. Still, $42,000 for a first car is steep. It is way above his ability.”
On Sept. 20, the proud dad wrote, “David is about a week away from driving his own van. I drove my first truck when I was 16, he’s 23 and finally getting to get close to the same freedom we enjoyed much younger.”
In the meantime, David got his driver’s license and was ready to take the specially designed driver’s seat. Tom shared a video on his most recent community post and ended with, “It is quite a strange blessing to watch your child drive themselves to work. Thank you and praise the Lord.”
For details about Help Hope Live, call: (800) 642-8399.