PROUD TO SUPPORT – THE ABRAMS FAMILY, EASTERN RECIPIENT FOR 2ND QUARTER 2021
100Brokers Members voted and we are very pleased to announce that we will be sending a cheque in the amount of $8,900 to The Abrams Family, Eastern Recipient of the 2nd Quarter vote of 2021.
Thank you to Stephanie Nash for bringing this Cause to our attention.
Nomination Story
The Abrams family, from the outside, looks like any “Million Dollar Family”. But in early 2019 their world was turned upside down when their son Harrison (now 9) was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive muscle wasting condition. It is a genetic condition that affects approximately 1 in 3500 (almost entirely) boys. Most people with DMD are wheelchair dependent by age 12, and the loss of muscle continues until it eventually weakens the heart and lungs. The median life expectancy is mid twenties and there is currently no cure.
Harrison is incredibly fortunate to so far be progressing very slowly and enjoying relatively good mobility, but he is still disabled and no treatment will reverse that. Stairs are especially difficult, and many features of the Abrams home are not going to be accessible for him long term. He deserves a home that he can enjoy, with few to no barriers. When they bought their fixer upper in the country in 2017, they were prepared to slowly work away at it. They couldn’t have predicted they would need to put their plans to replace leaky windows on hold, in order to install ramps, lifts, widened doorways, and the myriad of other modifications needed to make the home safe for their child.
Due to the pandemic, they’ve experienced some income loss, and yet their modest single income is considered “too high” for much of the funding from the available charities, who are already stretched thin and have extensive waiting lists. They will be using as much of their equity and credit as they can, but it will never be enough. Time is not on their side as they simply can’t predict when Harrison’s mobility needs will change, or when he will require a wheelchair full-time. It’s their sincere hope to have much of the needed work done as soon as possible in preparation for his future needs, as well as to make things easier for him now.
No parents should ever have to watch as their child’s muscles slowly deteriorate and find him confined to a wheelchair before the age of 12. The Abrams family need to make their home safe and accessible for their 9 year old son and they need our help to make it happen.
