Ontario teen sells copies of his 1st cookbook so family can buy new van to fit his wheelchair

John Ray of Kenilworth, Ont., has been using his mobility van to get around for about 10 years but it's on the verge of breaking down.

The cost to replace it is $100,000, which the family doesn't have right now. So the 15-year-old is trying to raise money by selling copies of his first cookbook, Big John's Farm Fresh Recipes.

"We have sold just under half of or maybe just over half of the books," he said, adding each copy is going for $25.

Ray has congenital muscular dystrophy, which is marked by progressive weakening and wasting of the muscles.

He needs a wheelchair to get around but it's too big to fit in a regular vehicle. His family bought the mobility van to drive him around, including to medical appointments in other cities.

The van has a larger interior to fit Ray's motorized wheelchair, and has a wheelchair ramp and a lowered floor to create extra headroom.

The family's mobility van is 10 years old and has logged more than 200,000 kilometres.

High costs

According to MoveMobility, an equipment supplier based in Winnipeg, accessible vehicles can range from $92,000 to $180,000.

Ray said the high cost of mobility vans is problematic for many people across Canada who use a wheelchair, and individual needs can drastically increase the cost.

"We need something with better supports inside the van for the extra weight of my wheelchair and we need space because I'm growing and my wheelchair is getting bigger," Ray said, explaining why they need a $100,000 model.

"Wheelchairs or vans or other equipment, like therapeutic bikes and standers and walkers ... Everything is just so outrageously expensive and the government doesn't help enough for people to afford this stuff."

Disability rights activist Steven Laperrière, director of the Montreal-based group Regroupement des activistes pour l'inclusion au Québec, spoke to Radio-Canada for a similar story of a Quebec family needing a mobility van. He said fundraisers are helpful considering the steep cost of such a van.

"If you don't have your adapted vehicle for your son or for yourself, it makes it very difficult to move around," he said.

"The moment you use a wheelchair as a means of mobility, you have no choice but to have [a mobility van]."

Cookbook focuses on healthy food

Ray said his cookbook is focused on healthy family recipes.

"Our family sells vegetables and meat at the farmers market at Mount Forest and in Toronto, so all the recipes have at least one ingredient in it that you can buy at the farmers market."

Ray's mom, Trina Reid, said she was impressed when she saw the final product.

"I can't believe he did this at 15 years old," she said proudly. "People love them. They just think, 'There's a spice guide: that's so neat. There's a conversion chart: that's so cool.' And they love the recipes. 

"People really are excited about it."

She said people can look forward to trying out some of their traditional family recipes. Reid said Ray also asked community members to share and include their favourite family recipes.

"There are German recipes in there. There's great-granny's butter tarts. There are a few very long-standing recipes."

Ray said members of the community have been eager to help.

"Lots of people around the town wanted to help. Even if they don't buy a book, they just donate and help the cause," he said.

"A lot of my friends my age actually bought books, whether it be gifts for the grandparents or parents. A lot of them bought books, which I wasn't expecting."

Ray hopes to publish a second issue by the end of 2025.

You can buy a copy by visiting the Hybrid Hair and Detox Spa in Mount Forest or at the family's farmers' market booth in Mount Forest or Toronto.