On January 5, 2018 Valetta Bradford’s car was stolen at a gas station in West Dallas, west of Milwaukee.  One of her kids left the car running, because it was so cold that night, went in to pay for the gas and came out to find the car had been taken.

This vehicle is a white _________________, license plate ____________________.  Last seen at address ______________________.

Valetta had packed the trunk earlier that day with luggage, clothes, purse, cash money for a trip to Waukegan that she did not get to take because her car was stolen.

The insurance Valetta had on the car was gap limited liability which does not cover the stolen car.  This insurance will only cover damage to the vehicle.

 

Obtaining this car was a blessing in the first place because Valetta had been without a vehicle for a long time prior.  She had settled for this car.  Valetta does not have a way to get her son around town without a wheelchair accessible vehicle.  She  hosted eight annual fundraisers that did not raise the amount needed to obtain a wheelchair accessible van for Xzavier, so she skipped 2017.

Those distracted drivers were on their own.

The out of pocket expenses to host an event is out of reach for these would be advocates, even before the stolen car.

When Valetta had a wheelchair accessible van for Xzavier, they made appearances to drivers at high schools, colleges, driving schools, and other events promoting their foundation’s mission to educate drivers to the dangers of distracted driving with an emphasis on texting.

 

We are trying again to raise the money to get Valetta out of debt in regards to this stolen car and to hopefully go above and beyond by obtaining a beautiful new wheelchair accessible van for Xzavier and Valetta!

Click this link to Valetta’s Go Fund Me page.

Who knows, if enough people spread this fundraiser around, the stolen car may be recovered.

If the thief is alerted as to whom he has stolen from, he may change his mind and return the vehicle.

No one can fault Valetta for not turning on the tracking device.  In this technological age, it is hard to keep abreast of the next ‘State of the Art’ development.

Valetta has a busy daily agenda being the primary caretaker of her son she chose to keep at home rather than institutionalize.

Xzavier had to go through eight surgeries to sustain his life leaving him dependent on a respirator to breathe and a wheelchair for mobility.  He also lost much of his mobility in his arms.

 

Xzavier was five years old when a driver struck him in the crosswalk of the Lee Elementary School on October 10, 2010. The woman was texting “I’m on my way.”

Valetta left a managerial position in corporate America eight years ago.  Xzavier’s condition requires full time care and his respiratory must be monitored 24/7.

At night on the weekdays, a nurse comes over and keeps an eye on Xzavier and his equipment. Valetta is on her night shift duty every weekend.

These are the lengths a devoted mother will go for her son.  In addition to caregiving, Valetta is left to scramble for resources to pay for bills, taxes, food, and medical supplies for Xzavier.  This has been a struggle that Valetta has no help with.

There was no insurance money for this on-going struggle from the distracted driver.  No punishment was handed out to this woman who has devastated this family to this degree,

and now this family has to absorb the costs of this stolen vehicle.

Pleas for help fall on distracted ears. Everyone has a cause. Meanwhile, the distractions are increasing rather than decreasing and deaths caused by distracted drivers are on the rise.

Everyone thinks the warnings are for the other drivers.

Meeting Xzavier and his mom Valetta is a profound moment in any driver’s life.  A moment that might save someone’s life.

Millions of viewers were reached when Xzavier and Valetta made a PSA directed by Werner Herzog in the ‘It Can Wait’ campaign.

Werner was so impressed by Valetta Bradford that he went to the campaign’s directors and asked for a budget to film a documentary ‘From One Second to the Next’ featuring Xzavier.

On October 11, 2014, Mayor Tom Barrett proclaimed ‘Xzavier Day’ for Milwaukee and Xzavier was presented with a Citation from the State of Wisconsin.  Many locals attended this event.

 

Valetta and her children appeared on one of the last episodes of ‘the Katie Couric Show’.

Millions of drivers have been reached through these channels and when we get that wheelchair accessible van for Xzavier, this dynamic duo can get back to making appearances on a local level.  The personal touch is always the best approach and Milwaukee is the nerve center for all campaigns in the distracted driving advocacies because Xzavier survived.  He has a voice and he wants a platform.

‘Don’t text 4 X’

Here is the documentary, ‘From One Second to the Next’;