Jacolby Young

Help CJ Ride Safely Into His Future with a Wheelchair Accessible Van

CJ is our 12-year-old miracle. Although his name is Jacolby Young Jr., most people have always called his dad Colby instead of Jacolby. When he was a baby we started calling him CJ and the nickname stuck. Today, that’s what everyone knows and loves him by. Our prayer is to provide him with a wheelchair-accessible van so he can safely travel to the places that help him thrive.

Our son, CJ, is living proof that miracles still happen.

There are moments in life that change you forever. For us, that moment came during my pregnancy when, at around seven months, we heard the words no parent ever expects to hear. Our son was diagnosed in utero with hydranencephaly, a rare neurological condition. We were told to prepare for the worst. Doctors weren’t sure if he would survive the pregnancy, and if he did, they believed his time with us would be very short.

In that moment, fear tried to take over. But so did our faith.

We made the decision that we would trust God with CJ’s life. His story would not be written by a diagnosis or a prognosis it would be written by the One who created him. While doctors gave us little hope, we held onto the promise that God would have the final say.

When CJ was born, his journey was only beginning.

Along with hydranencephaly came a long list of complex medical diagnoses, including cerebral palsy, developmental delays, epilepsy (seizures), feeding difficulties requiring a G-tube, respiratory challenges, and many other medical conditions. His life has been filled with surgeries, hospital stays, emergency room visits, countless doctor’s appointments, therapies, medications, and challenges that have become part of our everyday life.

This journey is beautiful, but it is also incredibly hard.

Time and time again, God has shown us His faithfulness through answered prayers, compassionate family members, lifelong friends, and our incredible church family. We are forever grateful for every person who has prayed over CJ, celebrated every milestone, cried with us through the hard days, and rejoiced with us through every miracle. We truly could not walk this journey alone.

And then there’s CJ.

CJ is so much more than a list of diagnoses.

He is funny, full of joy, and has a personality that is impossible to ignore. His smile has a way of lighting up an entire room, and his laughter is contagious. He loves being around people and has never met a stranger. Whether he’s out in the community, at church, at school, or at a doctor’s appointment, he has a special way of drawing people in. Complete strangers stop to talk to him, wave at him, and leave with a smile because there is just something about CJ that brings light wherever he goes.

He may not communicate the way most people do, but anyone who knows CJ understands him. His facial expressions, giggles, and excitement say more than words ever could. He has the sweetest spirit and reminds us daily to find joy in the simple things.

CJ loves being outside, riding around, listening to music, and spending time with the people he loves most. He especially enjoys being with his little brother, Noah, who has been one of his greatest supporters and biggest cheerleaders from the very beginning. Watching their bond is a beautiful reminder that love isn’t measured by words but by the moments shared together.

As CJ has grown, so have his medical and mobility needs.

He depends on his wheelchair every single day and safely transporting him has become one of the greatest challenges our family faces. Every doctor’s appointment, therapy session, church service, school activity, and family outing requires lifting both CJ and then his wheelchair into the trunk of our car or back of our truck. As he continues to grow, this becomes more physically demanding and increasingly unsafe.

For a long time, this has weighed heavily on my heart.

Families who are already navigating complex medical needs should not have to spend years wondering how they’ll safely transport the child they love more than anything. We have prayed, applied to organizations, reached out for help, and continued to trust that God will open the right doors in His perfect timing.

A wheelchair-accessible van would be so much more than transportation.

It would mean getting CJ safely to his medical appointments, therapies, church, community outings, family events, and school. It would reduce the strain on our family while giving CJ the dignity, comfort, and safety he deserves.

Most importantly, it would give us the freedom to focus less on how we’re going to get there and more on making memories together.

We don’t know exactly how God will provide, but we know He always has. Our family’s story has never been about what we can do on our own. It has always been about God’s faithfulness and the incredible people He has placed in our lives.

If you feel led to support our family, whether through a donation, sharing CJ’s story, or simply praying for us, please know that every act of kindness becomes part of the testimony God is writing through his life. Your generosity is more than financial support it is hope, encouragement, and a reminder that we are not walking this journey alone.

Thank you for believing in CJ. Thank you for believing that every child deserves the opportunity to experience the world safely.

Most of all, thank you for helping us continue to witness God’s faithfulness.

Our prayer has always been that people would see Jesus through CJ’s life. If his story has encouraged your faith, reminded you to cherish the little things, or inspired you to believe in miracles again, then God is already using his life exactly as He intended.

Jacolby has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to purchase a wheelchair accessible van and related expenses.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” — Ephesians 3:20