So often when a tragedy happens, that is our first response: “How can I help?” This page gives you a chance to make a profound impact in the life of Wesley Freeman. Your financial contributions to this page will help Wesley and his family as they face the aftermath of an unthinkable tragedy
WHAT HAPPENED: On Sunday, March 22, 15-year old Wesley Freeman suffered an ultra-rare spinal stroke while practicing golf. The stroke affected the C1-T7 vertebrae, and he was paralyzed from the upper chest down.
WHAT NOW: After spending weeks in the ICU, Wes’s health stabilized enough for him to begin down the long road towards recovery. He has been fighting to regain movement in his body. While he still has virtually no movement in any of his limbs, he is currently undergoing intensive rehab therapies at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago. As of now, Wes will be at Shirley Ryan for intensive rehabilitation through late August. The future is uncertain, but Wes is fighting every day to get better.
WHAT CAN I DO/HOW CAN I HELP?
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Make a contribution to the campaign to support Wesley through the Help Hope Lives site to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with a catastrophic injury
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Get the word out to others… and invite them to support the Freemans
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Stay connected through Wesley’s Caring Bridge Page (you will have to sign-up)
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Participate in community-based fundraisers with local partners (or if you would be interested in helping set something up with a local partner, reach out)
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Pray. His family believes in the power of prayer. Your prayers are helping to carry them through this impossibly difficult time.
GOAL! Make it possible for Wesley to come at the end of August. To bring Wesley home, the Freemans have two massive needs (and plenty of other ones…):
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a wheelchair accessible van ($70,000+)
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major modifications to their home to make it wheelchair accessible (lots of $$$!)
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A myriad of other expenses, from a motorized wheelchair to things related to daily medical care and other medical needs
(Please see the “Bring Wes Home” image gallery below to learn more about these needs and their estimated costs.)
ABOUT WESLEY AND THE FREEMANS: The Freeman Family has resided in Wheaton for 20 years. Wes and his sister, Claire, are Longfellow Elementary and Franklin Middle School alumni, and Wes’s mom, Rosemarie, is well known for her residential landscape design work around town. Wes is going to be a junior at Wheaton North High School this fall. He is a member of the Wheaton North golf team, just a typical teenage boy getting ready to start driving this summer and prepping for college visits next year. There was zero indication that this stroke was going to occur, and his doctors still do not know why this happened to him.
WHY HELP HOPE LIVE? With Help Hope Live are leaders in supporting people facing long-term medical expenses. Since they are a non-profit, donations are tax-deductible for contributors and are eligible for company matching programs. These expenses can only be used to cover medical and related expenses, including making his home and transportation wheelchair-accessible. *All funds donated to the original GoFundMe will be used to pay expenses that insurance does not cover but are not directly medically related and cannot be paid through this nonprofit Help Hope Live fundraising organization.
REMEMBER:
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Your support and prayers mean the world to the Freemans.
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Any contribution will go to Help Hope Live in honor of Wes’s rehabilitation and care moving forward. Donations through Help Hope Live are tax-deductible.
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Your financial support will make a huge difference to the Freemans!
Thank you!
YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@rosemariefreeman4954?si=8zmcIeWopj4SEByO
