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This is the Bee Rocket, a 2024 Mercedes Sprinter 170 extended, diesel, all wheel drive. It has 1000 amp hours of smart lithium batteries, two 30 amp dc-dc chargers, 600 watts of solar, and a 30 amp shore power plug. The goal was to make sure the van never ran out of power. This van was built for a little girl named Juniper. Juniper was injured at birth and her medical issues, due to that injury, make it nearly impossible for her to fly anywhere. We are excited to see where the Bee Rocket takes Juniper and her family. Here is a write up from Juniper's mom, Danielle, and also a link to Juniper's blog.
A quick bit about Juniper:
Juniper Jude was injured at birth. Stillborn with no heartbeat and no oxygen circulating through her body, it took 15 minutes and 3 shots of epinephrine to get her going again. This caused an event called hypoxic (no air) ischemic (no blood) encephalopathy (injured brain). She had almost no brain activity and her MRI showed "global, widespread damage." Parts of her brain were gone, destroyed, never coming back. They gave her two hours to live. The HIE event triggered a lengthy cascade of other medical problems: she has a rare form of blindness, cerebral palsy, chronic respiratory failure, gross developmental delay. She can't sit unassisted, can't walk, can't talk, can't swallow, is tube fed, and she coughs ineffectively so it's a constant, 24 hour job to keep her lungs and airway clear. She lived her first four months in the NICU and had her first birthday in a hospital room.
During the whole pregnancy, we dreamed of all the places we would take her, all the beauty and magical wonderment in the world. Due to her respiratory function, she wouldn't be able to breathe at flying altitude, let alone FAA standards for her equipment. Those dreams seemed impossible. Her world would be very small and limited. Her range was limited to a two hour circumference around Denver. She'd never see an opera at the Met, never see belugas up close at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. She'd never see Degas's ballerinas in person. "Never."
Thanks to an unexpected influx of funds, we decided we were going to build the van that could take her to Quebec; the van that could take her to stem cell treatment facilities, our last best hope of regaining function, even if not perfect. This van, The Bee Rocket (Juniper's nickname is The Bee), has opened up a whole part of the world, so long as a road goes there. The Bee Rocket is fully solar electrified, enough to run all her equipment uninterrupted for three whole days without charging. We have space for all the equipment, beds for rest on long trips, and four killer captain's chairs. The AWD diesel Sprinter can show her Machu Pichu, the Brazilian Rainforest, the mountains of Peru, the frozen landscape of Alaska, complete with majestic marine mammals. Most importantly, it can take her to Arizona for these life-altering stem cell treatments along with powerhouse rehabilitation facilities like Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
Juniper has no tether in her sphere anymore, thanks to the imagination, the dedication, the commitment of the people at Viking Van Customs. Their diligent, passionate, and compassionate approach to this very special vehicle has touched our whole family. The Bee isn't confined to her Denver hive anymore. She can go anywhere her interests take her. She can attend highly respected medical treatment facilities. She can be whole again. This little girl who "could/would never," is free of her physical constraints. There aren't strong enough words to express our pure happiness and gratitude for this gift, appropriately timed for Christmas.
Juniper's Blog:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/ju...
Part Links:
All electrical system parts from:
Rvsolarconnections.com
Lagun Table: Swivel Table
www.lagunusa.com/product/2nd-...
Heat Pads: MiHeat 12V Heat Pad
infrarot-fussboden.de/12V-Hea...
Water Pump: Saeflo Pump 3 GPM
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
Electrical Ventilation: AC Infinity
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
12V USB Outlet:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09...
Captains Chairs: Gravitas IS Sop4Seats
shop4seats.com/rv-seating/rv-...
Heater: Espar Diesel Heater
www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z82FPD3?...
Isotherm 85 Fridge:
www.westmarine.com/isotherm-c...
23 янв 2024
