Wesley Freeman

“How can I help?” 

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 the long road towards recovery, undergoing 16 weeks of intensive rehab therapies at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago. On Tuesday, August 25th, Wesley returned home, for the first time in 22 weeks. Now Wes is living at home and will be doing outpatient rehab therapies at a suburban location of Shirley Ryan Ability Lab. 

HOW CAN I HELP?

1. 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

2. Get the word out to others… and invite them to support the Freemans

3. Stay connected through Wesley’s CaringBridge Page (you will have to sign-up) 

4. 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)

5. Pray.  His family believes in the power of prayer.  Your prayers are helping to carry them through this impossibly difficult time.

GOAL: Support Wesley and the Freeman family with the massive expenses needed for a young person on a ventilator and with a tracheostomy to live at home. 

1. a wheelchair accessible van (acquired–see photo below)

2. major modifications to make their current home (and potential future home, if they choose to move) safe and wheelchair accessible (lots of $$$!)

3. A myriad of other expenses, from therapies, treatments, procedures, medications, and personnel needed for his 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 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? Help Hope Live is a leader 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: 

• Your support and prayers mean the world to the Freemans. 

• Any contribution will go to Help Hope Live in honor of Wes’s rehabilitation and care moving forward. All donations through Help Hope Live are tax-deductible.

• Your financial support will make a huge difference to the Freemans!

Thank you!

YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@rosemariefreeman4954?si=8zmcIeWopj4SEByO