Emily Progin, Content Manager
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COMMUNITY RAISES $17,000 TO HELP PARALYZED FRISCO MOM
Pickleball Players & Local Organizations Rallied at Oct 5 Fundraiser
FRISCO, Texas—On October 5, the Frisco community raised over $17,000 at a Pickleball for a Cause fundraiser in honor of Norma Aguirre, a Frisco mother recovering from a life-changing spinal cord injury sustained in February. With support from Chicken N Pickle and Stonebriar Country Club, the fundraiser will provide a financial lifeline and hope to Norma at a time of overwhelming need.
More than 100 pickleball players and guests attended the October 5 fundraiser at Stonebriar, bringing their competitive spirit and generosity. They raised over $17,000 for the trusted nonprofit Help Hope Live in honor of Norma Aguirre to offset spinal cord injury-related expenses not covered by insurance.
Norma attended the fundraiser in-person. As close friend Annette Feddersen explained, “She has not really been out in public since her injury. At first, she was overwhelmed—but then she really came into the moment, grateful for all the love and support.”
Norma was moved to give a speech about her experiences in the seven months since her injury, highlighting the immense impact of community support on her physical and emotional recovery. ‘You could hear a pin drop,” Annette said. “Everyone was so attentive to her journey, her faith, and her new life.”
Attendees included Chicken N Pickle’s Taylor Nichols, dozens of enthusiastic pickleball players, and the president of the North Texas chapter of United Spinal Association. Also in attendance was Fr. Rudy Garcia of St. Francis of Assisi—the fundraiser was held with strong support from Norma’s faith community, particularly the ACTS group.
Chicken N Pickle, an inclusive and welcoming pickleball and dining experience with multiple locations, brought an adaptive pickleball clinic to the fundraiser to showcase para-pickleball.
A premier destination for world-class athletics and family gatherings, Stonebriar Country Club dedicated their stunning facilities to the cause, enabling a vivacious community gathering as one of the area’s preeminent private clubs.
“This fundraiser was only possible thanks to the club’s generosity and Chicken N Pickle,” said Annette. “If you have that kind of support, and the love of your community, you can make this happen.”
On February 18, 54-year-old Norma Aguirre of Frisco experienced a birthday getaway with her daughter that would forever change her life. Nine months after her daughter’s joyous marriage, Norma felt the getaway would be a special chance to connect, and her adventurous spirit emerged throughout the trip.
“During that weekend, on a whim, I decided to climb a tree,” she explained. “That climb marked the beginning of a new adaptive life for me.”
As Norma fell from the tree, she witnessed her daughter’s expression: “Composed, but with panic. It’s a look no parent wants to see on their child’s face.”
Norma was rushed to the ER by ambulance. When she awoke in the ER, a doctor told her she would become a paraplegic. “In that moment, my world shattered,” Norma said.
Through the peaks and valleys of her seven-month intensive recovery process, “I am redefining my concept of disability and ability, and I have maintained my hope and faith. Scripture tells me that nothing is impossible.”
Community support has been an essential ingredient to her recovery as she fights to regain as much independence and mobility as possible through rehabilitation: “It has been crucial to find support through friends, family, and the community. The community has come together to lift me in prayers and support. They remind me that I am not alone in this new journey.”
Fundraising with the nonprofit Help Hope Live is helping Norma and her family to afford countless costs not fully covered by insurance, including ongoing physical therapy, medical equipment, and wheelchair improvements to ensure Norma can return to an active and healthy life.
Tax-deductible donations can be made online at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/23583/
Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live 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 $188 million to pay patient expenses. ###
