Emily Progin, PR and Communications Coordinator
eprogin@helphopelive.org / 800.642.8399
Release: Immediate
COMMUNITY PROVIDES HOPE TO THREE-YEAR-OLD TWINS WITH DISABILITIES
Fundraising Will Help Zackariah Walk on His Own for the First Time
DOTHAN, Ala.—Twins Zackariah and Dale Robinson are just a little different from other three-year-olds, and as a result, they need extra care and support to live healthy and happy lives. That’s where the Dothan community comes in. A new fundraising campaign with the national nonprofit Help Hope Live will help bring critical medical needs within reach for Dale and Zackariah that insurance won’t fully cover, including robotic legs that will help Zackariah walk—and, as mom puts it, “see the world in a different way.”
Zackariah and Dale were born premature at just 26 weeks. Both live with cerebral palsy and associated challenges with mobility and development. Dale experiences mobility issues and hearing loss, while Zackariah can’t move forward, stand, or sit for more than a minute or two unassisted.
Despite their challenges, for mom Patricia King, the future remains bright. “They are happy, beautiful, spunky little boys,” she explained. “We just want to make their lives more comfortable and help them reach the goals of basic daily living.”
At the top of mom’s list is an incredible piece of cutting-edge technology called a Trexo. Trexo “robotic legs” will allow Zackariah to experience something he has not been able to attain so far in his three years of life: walking. While brain damage at birth has made Zackariah unable to form the connection between his brain and his legs, “with years of repetition, he can reconnect those pathways,” explained Patricia. “The Trexo would allow for this to happen.”
Mobility goes further than physical distance: “He would be able to walk with me, his brother, and his father, and see the world in a different way,” said Patricia. “I know that Zack wants this—I see the happiness that pours from him when he is upright. The desire is there: the muscle strength and the know-how are not. The Trexo would give him that.”
Insurance will not help with the out-of-pocket cost. As a result, the boys’ parents will need to cover about $50,000.
That’s why Patricia turned to the trusted medical fundraising nonprofit Help Hope Live. Donations can be made at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/21095/
Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live in honor of Zackariah and Dale are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be managed by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $165 million to pay patient expenses. ###
Written by Emily Progin
