Help Max Climb Mountains
Donation protected
We are asking for your help.
Please help us get a TerrainHopper for Max.
This TerrainHopper is AMAZING! Max will finally be able to have more exciting and meaningful experiences in nature without limitations! Here's more info about them
He will finally be able to get out in the snow and have independence, wheelchairs just don’t do snow (and we usually get a lot in Minnesota) Check out this video link…
He’ll be able to go “mountain biking” with his big brother and his dad.
He’ll be able to do hikes up mountains, even be able to get over obstacles. Check out this video…
He’ll be able to get to the trout stream on his own (the TerrainHopper even has a fishing pole holder) and he’ll have a safe secure seat for reeling in all those big fish.
He’ll be able to play on the beach – sand won’t be a problem. We have a trip planned to the Oregon Coast this summer and we want him to have this freedom. To get down to the waves and “run” and play with his brother and cousin, aunts and uncles. Check out this video…
This TerrainHopper will grow with him too! The seating is adjustable to accommodate an adult so it will change his whole life.
Max has a neuromuscular disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (he’s type 2), it’s kind of like ALS but for babies. Thankfully, he’s been receiving a treatment which has stopped the progression of his disease and allowed him to keep the strength he has. He hasn’t ever been able to stand or walk (or even crawl) but he still wants to do everything and be a part of everything. He has all the hopes and dreams of any other 9-year-old kid, his disability is just physical.
Our family loves to be outdoors! Max loves camping and fishing. We have tried to get him out in nature as much as we can, but as he has gotten older (bigger and heavier) it is getting hard to carry him and the seating and stuff he needs to be safe and comfortable, especially across rivers/streams and over uneven terrain, aka nature. We believe in outdoor play and adventure. There is nothing like it.
When Max was 2 years old, he suffered a catastrophic illness (the flu). He was in the Pediatric ICU for 6 weeks. We almost lost him (a bunch of times). It has been quite a journey since then. His physical recovery took about a year, but our psychological recovery (we almost never left his room) has taken a lot longer.
He is ready for this adventure and so are we!
Please help Max climb those mountains, cross those streams, catch all those fish, play in the snow and the sand and who know what else we can dream up.
Your support means the world to us! It is hard to express how impactful this will be in Max's life and our whole family. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Organizer
Emily Peda
Organizer
Rochester, MN