FLORENCE, Ky. — A Northern Kentucky mother is working hard to ensure her son with special needs has access to everything necessary for him to thrive.

Nearly four years ago, 52-year-old Colleen Sullivan adopted 7-year-old Elijah. 

"He has a laugh and a smile that just illuminates the joy that comes from God in this situation," she said. 

Elijah has cerebral palsy and other severe medical conditions. She said he suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was just four months old. After weeks and months of constantly praying, she became his adoptive mother when he was three-and-a-half years old, Sullivan said. 

As a retired social worker, Sullivan has worked to find the best schools and resources to make sure Elijah has what he needs.

"The state of Kentucky has been very wonderful about providing actual equipment ... his wheelchair, his bath chair, his stander, but they don't provide the funding for a new van or a modified van with an electric ramp," she said. 

In Kentucky, an Admissions and Release Committee (ARC) may determine whether a student qualifies for special education, but it does not help much with providing outside transportation. 

"Elijah requires 24/7 care," Sullivan said. "I have to do everything for him: bathing, dressing, feeding, brushing teeth, lifting him, carrying him, walking with him. It's very difficult."

Sullivan tore her rotator cuff trying to lift him into a van, which is why she said a new van with a ramp is a necessity.

"We'd be able to lock him down, and then we would be on our way to the joys of life, the experiences and just the activities," Sullivan said. 

One of Elijah's caretakers started a fundraiser to help his mother cover the cost of receiving a van ramp.