Congratulations to the Freirmuth family in Centerville, Minnesota, on receiving their accessible van through our Jett Giving Fund program! Jonathan Freirmuth, 19, who is affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, lives with his mom, Kathy, and his older sister, Tiffany. Jonathan was diagnosed, by a specialist, with Duchenne at four and-a-half years old. Prior to his diagnosis, his mom noticed he was struggling to perform simple activities of daily living such as climbing stairs.
The Freirmuth family was in need of a safe, accessible vehicle they could count on to transport Jonathan and his power chair after the unreliability of their current vehicle. Not having safe transportation put a halt to Jonathan’s ability to enjoy some of his favorite activities such as taking drives to Duluth, MN, to watch the ships come in on Lake Superior.
After weeks of not finding an accessible van that fit their needs, their luck changed when a neighbor had reached out to let a family friend know of a church down the street who had an accessible van for sale listed at $50,000. This was exciting news, considering their current van was old and outdated. However, this was still costly for the family, and they decided to reach out to Jett Foundation for assistance. They were overwhelmed to find out they were approved into the Jett Giving Fund program.
Jett Giving Fund is a financial assistance program where families raise half the funds needed for their equipment, and Jett Foundation covers the remaining half of the costs for families in the program. The Freiermuth family needed an accessible van that totaled $50,000. With both Jett Foundation’s Jett Giving Fund and community support as a helping hand, the Freiermuth family reached their fundraising goal and received their van.
The Freiermuth family began to work hard on fundraising $25,000, their half of the van’s costs. Thanks to many friends and family donating to meet their fundraising goal, the family met their goal earlier this year and Jett Foundation stepped in to cover the remaining half and to purchase the van for them! “We were so excited for the commitment of the Jett Foundation to make this possible. We could never have done this without their help! We are looking forward to hearing about the long-distance trips Jonathan will get to enjoy,” says a family friend.
Now Jonathan is able to see the ships come in on Lake Superior, and go on many other adventures, thanks to his new handicap accessible van. The van has greatly improved the quality of Jonathan’s life by allowing him to travel places outside of his hometown safely and comfortably. In the future, he would like to go on long road trips, maybe to California, and enjoy his late teens and early twenties with his mom and sister despite his physical limitations.
You can help us to support more families through the Jett Giving Fund. Donate today or learn more about becoming a sponsor by emailing info@jettfoundation.org.
Established in 2017, Jett Giving Fund has helped transform the lives of countless families across the country with over $1.8 million worth of accessible equipment and emergency assistance thanks to the generous support of individual donors, local communities, and major sponsors including Cure Dale’s Duchenne, Sarepta Therapeutics, FibroGen, the Flatley Foundation, and the Killian Family.
