Savannah father diagnosed with Parkinson’s receives more than $7,000 for specialized wheelchair
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- In just two days time, a Savannah man battling Parkinson's Disease has seen the community rally around him with a flood of more than $7,200 in GoFundMe donations for a critical medical device.
Jay Freerksen, a 59-year-old resident and father from Savannah, Missouri, was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease on his 50th birthday and has seen his condition deteriorate faster than anticipated according to a GoFundMe page set up on Nov. 18, to the point now where he has extreme difficulties walking and talking.
Despite two successful brain surgeries within a six-month period in 2023 for the man with six children and four grandchildren -- surgeries that reduced his tremors by as much as 90% -- the procedures do not stop the progression.
A GoFundMe page set up for Freerksen on Nov. 18 has already raised $7,270 of the $8,424 needed in just two days for a specialized power wheelchair and lift to allow him to move around his home safely and independently. Insurance is expected to cover the remaining 80% of the total $17,500.
"I would be able to go back to church and do other things that would make me more independent," the GoFundMe page reads. "I am truly thankful for each one of you!"
Thus far, 35 donations have come in for the wheelchair/lift, ranging from $25 and $50 to $100, $500 and even $1000, including a large $1,500 donation from Victory Chevrolet GMC.
"Whatever donations are over the amount requested will go towards a ramp that I will need to get in and out of the house. And if there is still donations left over, then I will put that towards future repairs or upgrades to the chair."
According to a 2022 study from the Parkinson's Foundation, close to 90,000 people in the U.S. each year are diagnosed with Parkinson's, a neurodegenerative brain disorder. More than 1.1 million people in total are affected by the disease each year in the U.S..
