Westwood Woodturner John Cox Seeks Donations for Son’s Accessible Vehicle

Longtime Westwood woodturner John Cox is asking the local arts and woodturning community to help his family secure a wheelchair-accessible vehicle for his son, Sean, who was paralyzed in a serious car accident last July.

Sean Cox is paralyzed from the chest down and uses a wheelchair after being rear-ended in July 2025. The injury has left him unable to work, walk, drive, or live as he did before. The family’s daily routines have been dramatically altered, and Sean’s wife is also unable to drive for medical reasons, creating additional challenges for getting to medical appointments and maintaining family life.

John Cox, an exhibiting artist at the Blue Goose Gallery of Artists since 2016, said the family has explored wheelchair-accessible vehicles but found the prices prohibitive. “As you probably know, such vehicles are expensive, even the used ones. So we, his mother and father, set up a GoFundMe program in order to raise some of the money to help him see his dream come true,” he said. The family has made that crowdfunding drive the immediate avenue for community support.

The practical impact of an accessible vehicle goes beyond transport. For a shop veteran like John, whose life revolves around the lathe, tool setups, and gallery shows, mobility for Sean means returning to aspects of family and community life that woodturners cherish: attending local exhibitions, joining guild meetings, helping set up shows, and getting to appointments that keep rehabilitation on track. Restoring access to those routines can improve quality of life and enable Sean to be more active in the social and cultural circles where the Coxes are known.

Sean expressed gratitude for the support the family has received. “I am so grateful, let alone amazed by these wonderful people of my life that have contributed to my well-being to help me be more active and feel more like myself! Thank you!”

John’s bowls, spindle work, and turned pieces are shown at the Blue Goose Gallery of Artists, which has posted photos and local contact details on behalf of the family. Community members seeking information on the GoFundMe campaign, donations, or how to view John’s work can contact the Blue Goose Gallery for current details and ways to help.

This effort is a timely example of how the woodturning community rallies when one of its own needs mobility and independence. Contributions now will help Sean regain freedom of movement and rejoin the activities that matter to the Cox family and their neighbors. Expect updates from the gallery as the campaign progresses and the family moves toward finding a vehicle that meets Sean’s needs.