Meet Jonathan!
Meet 19-year-old Jonny. He was born a healthy baby, but tragedy struck when he was four years old. Jonny had his tonsils removed to help improve his sleep apnea. After the surgery, Jonny was deprived of oxygen for over 30 minutes. He spent days in intensive care. Recovery seemed impossible, and he was eventually removed from life support. The tearful parents were saying goodbye to the little boy when he began having sporadic seizures for a period of hours. The heart broken mom cradled Jonny in her arms to bring him comfort. Miracles can happen, though. Somebody turned on Jonny’s favorite tv show, Veggie Tales. Immediately, Jonny took a deep breath and opened his eyes. The seizures stopped. The parents went from sobs of sadness to tears of joy. Jonny still had struggles ahead. He was diagnosed with Lennox Gastaut Syndrome. He is mentally challenged. Jonny is also confined to a wheelchair. He was once paralyzed from the neck down, but he continues to improve and be happy.
Jonny has a wide range of interests. He enjoys watching gymnastics and dancing. He likes movies with actresses resembling his sister; he thinks she is the star of these films. Jonny is also learning how to read and sound out certain letter combinations. Jonny is creative, too; his hobbies include painting or building Legos. He even enjoys gardening. Jonny has other interests, but what makes him special is his heart. Jonny is kind and gentle with everybody and everything; he tries to feed and burp his baby kitten. He treats strangers like best friends. He exemplifies warmth like a radiant sun. And we bask in the miracle of his life.
Jonathan received a vehicle lift for the family car. Mom sent us a heartfelt email:
Thank you again for everything!
Jonathan is ready to go out and discover the world. Being able to go where he wants under his own power will be amazing. There are so many places I want to take him and things I can’t wait for him to experience that we couldn’t before as I couldn’t push him that far in his manual wheelchair.
Thank you and God bless you,
We are so happy to be able to provide families with the equipment they need! Go out and explore the world Jonny!