Bravo ‘Below Deck’ star’s family gifted ‘life-changing’ van by Gainesville auto shop

The star of Bravo’s "Below Deck," “Captain” Sandy Yawn, was in Gainesville Friday morning with her family where Gainesville Midas gifted her special needs grand-niece a refurbished, wheelchair-accessible van.

Fifteen-year-old Emalynn Roberts has a genetic disorder called RTS type 2 that affects the muscle and nerve function in her body. She is currently ventilator dependent and will require 24-hour assistance for her entire life.

The accessible van, her mother Katie Roberts said, is critical in making their lives more manageable.

“It's absolutely everything we need. It’s dependable, it's brand new, it’s a huge stress off of my shoulders in terms of having a car to transport her,” Roberts said. “Our lives are stressful on a day-to-day basis, so this is one less thing to worry about.”

The car was provided to the family for free by Midas alongside Project Spark, a project that repairs cars and provides them to those in need of reliable transportation. The road to getting Emalynn a car started with Yawn.

“My manager put it out on Facebook, and I didn't know Midas had a program like this, which is really awesome, so they connected us,” Yawn said. “Midas takes these cars in and they refurbish them and get them ready for the road and then they donate the car… It's the Midas touch from the beginning to the end. It’s pretty awesome.”

Yawn said the car gives her peace of mind that her grand-niece can reliably get places. Before it took almost an hour to get Emalynn into a car along with all of her medical equipment. Now, she is able to maneuver her wheelchair directly into the van.

“It's incredible, and I'm so overjoyed and so happy,” Yawn said. “And I am grateful for Midas.”