Community rallies around 6th-grade student who needs new wheelchair

NORTH SALT LAKE — When Mamadou Traore first held his newborn son, Tamba, he didn't think he'd survive the night. Born at just 1 pound, Tamba's chances of survival were slim, and his dad said it was "hard for a parent to see."

"We knew something was wrong," Traore said, speaking about the day his wife went into early labor. "I called the doctor, and they said to take her straight to the hospital. We went to University of Utah, and at that time, my insurance wasn't covering the University of Utah, and I had to go to Intermountain (Health). (My wife) gave birth, and Tamba was like (the size of) my cellphone.

"I said I don't think he will make it ... but this boy is really a fighter. He did everything, and he's still alive."

Tamba is now 12 years old and is in sixth grade at Foxboro Elementary in North Salt Lake. He is part of the essential elements class that serves students with the most severe disabilities. Tamba is nonverbal and requires a wheelchair to get around.

Tamba's teacher, Amanda Gunnell, said that she and other special education professionals have been working with him to improve his communication, which he does through a mobile device.

"He's able to use a communication device, and he'll say 'left,' 'right,' 'stop,' and sometimes he'll say, 'outside,' or 'I want to go to the cafeteria,' or ask to see his teacher or friend," Gunnel said. "He definitely wants to move, but he's so limited because he's dependent on those around him that have to help him."

Tamba doesn't have an electric wheelchair, and according to his dad, he is currently outgrowing the chair he's in.

"The wheelchair he has now is old," Traore said. "It's more than 5 years (old). He's due to have a new wheelchair, and we requested to have an electric wheelchair so he can have independence. (The insurance) said that no, they can't do that."

Traore is an operations manager at a local hotel and is originally from the Ivory Coast. He moved to the United States in 2010 and to Utah shortly after. He said that since moving to Utah, he has felt loved and supported, something his family has needed while raising a son with severe special needs.

"I told everyone, 'If you want to come to America, don't go anywhere else. Come to Utah,'" Traore said. "I love his school, because they gave me an idea to go and check with Shriners Hospital. They said there's a long list, but they are going to put him on the list."

With the wait for a wheelchair often lasting years, Tamba's teacher decided to start raising funds through a GoFundMe* online fundraiser. To date, the community has raised almost $5,000.

"You can find a beginner wheelchair for $6,000, but medical ones cost over $20,000," Gunnell said. "My hope is that if we can find him one as a beginner, and that will help prove to insurance later that he is capable of using a motorized wheelchair."

Tamba's parents and teachers said that they hope to get an electric wheelchair before he enters junior high, so that he can have that independence and "walk with his friends" rather than have them push him around.

"I feel like junior high is the perfect time where he has the support of peer tutors and multiple teachers," Gunnel said. "It's going to be the best place for him to learn these independent skills."

Foxboro Elementary Principal Shelly Truelson has known Tamba since he was in first grade, when she was working at another school. Tamba recently moved to Foxboro when the essential elements program moved there at the start of the school year. Truelson said that Tamba and the other special-needs students have brought a much-needed light to the school.

"Tamba is probably one of the most well-known and loved students at our school and has really helped students develop a compassion for students with disabilities," Truelson said. "We recognize that all of our students have special needs, and we do whatever we can to help meet those needs. We are in constant communication with Tamba's family, and our family advocate has helped try to bridge that gap."

Truelson said that she's excited about what an electric wheelchair might do to improve Tamba's ability to communicate with the world around him.

"I'm so excited because he is so cognitively aware of everything, although he can't verbalize it," she said. "I'm excited for him to be able to show us a little bit more of what he knows with his movement and what he wants to do with his mind, body and soul."

Gunnell said the goal is to get Tamba an electric wheelchair before his sixth-grade graduation on May 19.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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