Mom Starts Business To Give Her Son A Lift

East County Business:

Sixteen years ago Michelle Gouveia-Smith was pregnant with her son Cameron when she developed a virus known as slap-cheek. Normally an innocuous disease, it can cause birth defects when contracted by mothers during their first trimester.

Eight months later Cameron was born with myriad disabilities. Today the teenager has the mental capacity of a 2-year-old, is legally blind, wheelchair bound, and non-verbal. Gouveia-Smith and her husband Brian take turns sleeping in Cam’s room each night, monitoring the machines that regulate his breathing.

For the family, which also includes a college-age daughter and a 5-year old son, life is often one continuous round of appointments. When Cam was younger, his mom was able to easily lift him in and out of his wheelchair and the car. Now that he has hit puberty, she is finding the physical requirements a little tougher.

“The good news is that Cam is growing and gaining weight and we are so grateful for that,” said Gouveia-Smith. “But the bad news is that I can’t lift him in and out of his chair or the car anymore. My husband is starting to have some trouble, too.”

What the family needs is a new minivan complete with a hydraulic lift.

Such a vehicle costs in the neighborhood of $50,000.

And that, says Gouvei-Smith is the rub. “The insurance company won’t pay for the lift because they say it’s not essential, that it isn’t necessary,” said Gouveia-Smith. “They just won’t do it. There doesn’t seem to be any way to have insurance pay for it, even though for us, it’s a necessity.”

As the mother of a special-needs child, Gouveia-Smith has worked every day of her son’s life to secure the services, equipment and care he is entitled to. Every day she fights to keep her son alive and every day she fights for the things he needs.

And she intends to make sure he gets them. Gouveia-Smith, who has been a stay-at-home mom since Cam was born, thinks she might have found a solution to the vehicle snafu, and its name is Home & Garden Party.

Featuring home décor products such as kitchenware, candles and artwork, the home-based business operates in much the same way as the popular Tupperware and Candlelite parties. By booking and hosting parties, and online sales, Gouveia-Smith receives a commission for each item sold. She hopes to earn enough to afford the monthly payment on a vehicle or purchase one outright.