John Robert Ekman was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and due to his determination to live his life to the fullest he has surpassed all doctor’s expectations for this type of disorder. He was expected to be wheelchair bound by 4 years of age, but his drive, friends, and family members keeping him active with lots of physical activity; he stretched this timeline until he was 21 years old.
Although John still mourns the loss of his most favorite companion and service dog, Paris, two years ago; he now owns Miss Maisie, a Westie who has quickly become the princess of the whole family. Today at age 36, John continues to stay involved with computer work even building his own computers. He entertains his neice and nephew as well as attends most of their functions. He also keeps in close contact with friends and family members.
Since Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a progressive disorder that causes atrophy of the muscles John recently went from his regular wheelchair to a powerchair which was gratefully covered by insurance. However, as John’s disorder has progressed and mom and dad’s ability to move him from place to place as they age has become more difficult, we found ourselves in need of a ceiling lift. This lift will be attached to the ceiling and will run the length of John’s room through the hallway and into the restroom. Unfortunately, the lift is not covered by insurance. John also continues to need physical therapy which will also now no longer be covered by insurance. As you can imagine, the cost of the equipment and a lifetime of therapy will be a huge expense. Therefore, we are thankful for any donation to Help Hope Live in support of John that you can make in order to help ease the financial burden and to help John continue to live his life to the fullest.
Family and friends of John Ekman are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness.
John 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!
