Austin is a 4-year-old living with Cerebral Palsy. Austin and his twin sister were born unexpectedly at just 29 weeks gestation. As a result of such premature birth and loss of oxygen during delivery, Austin suffered from damage to the inner parts of his brain (PVL).
This condition affects his vision, causes spastic muscles, and affects all motor movements. Although he has made incredible progress with his motor skills, he is constantly working against his body for every movement.
The spastic muscles have him on the road to needing major hip surgery. We are doing everything possible to delay and if possible, avoid. Austin has extensive physical therapy including a few intensive therapy sessions a year, plus non-invasive medical procedures which all come with a large financial hardship.
He is working on gaining strength and independence so that he can access his environment and community like his peers.
Austin is very social and loves to be out and about! He enjoys playing adaptive basketball with his friends but can be nervous at first with large crowds and lots of noise. His smile and expressions attract so many people and we are often approached by strangers telling us how sweet and special he is.
He is very intelligent and extremely inquisitive. His questions will make you laugh as they aren’t ones you would typically expect from a 4-year-old. He is happy, loving & an incredibly hard worker who makes a lasting impression on everybody who enters his life.
Due to Austin’s disability, simple skills are challenging for him.
His legs are very stiff which makes it hard for him to move them without them scissoring or crossing. He has gained lots of core strength over the years but it’s constantly a work in progress to help him achieve a sitting position and maintain it independently. The spasticity in his muscles makes precise movements difficult, for example using utensils takes a lot of work, but Austin is learning ways to make it work for him. He is working on using a gait trainer but gets fatigued so he prefers to use his wheelchair that he can independently maneuver to get around much quicker in.
Austin is fundraising for needed equipment and to be able to access more therapy.
Insurance does not cover all equipment as they don’t deem it “medically necessary” but equipment such as a stander that has the hip abduction capability has been proven to help hip health and reduce hip subluxation that would delay or possibly even avoid the need for major hip surgery. He has also been asking to try hippotherapy which in itself is around $600/month. This special therapy service has been on our list for a while as it has been proven to help improve muscle tone, balance, postural control, and motor development.
All of these things would help Austin’s body and greatly improve his quality of life.
We hope to be able to continue to provide therapy for Austin that will decrease his pain and help him gain the strength he needs to give him skills that will allow him to lead a happy & healthy life as independently as possible.
He is very determined and is constantly telling us “I do it by my own self” so we want to provide him with anything necessary to allow that independence. We hope to be able to provide the necessary equipment to allow him to access recreational activities in a safe way with his sister and peers.
We would be honored if you donated to Help Hope Live in Austin’s honor today and ask your friends and family to give as well. We would love to plan fundraisers and community events in Austin’s honor if you are able to help with that, please reach out to his mom at [email protected]! Thank you for your generous support!
Family and friends of Austin Lesniewski are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness.
Austin has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you for your support!
