Support Hope Kittel's VertaCat Dream

Let's spread the HOPE

The Eastern Wisconsin Stand Up and Play Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to provide accessible and enjoyable recreation activities for people with disabilities. We are currently fundraising to support those activities and to grant Hope Kittel with her very own VertaCat.

Hope Kittel, a 2024 graduate of Cedarburg H.S., played for the Junior Varsity and Varsity Golf Team her Freshman and Sophomore years. Unfortunately in early 2023 her life took a sudden change.

Hope’s Story is:

"On March 15, 2023, I went to school like any other day. I said goodbye to my parents, and my sister drove me to school. While in class, around 10:30 am, I noticed I could no longer read the words on my computer. I was frozen in place, unable to move any of my extremities like normal. My classmate Alex tried to show me something funny in our assignment but I didn’t respond as I usually would have. My face had dropped. I attempted to speak and tell him to get help but no words would come out. Alex noticed something was wrong so he went and got our teacher. Ms. H. called 911 and I was immediately transported to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

Once I woke up, I came to realize that I had lost my entire memory prior to the episode. My legs were paralyzed, I became mute, my hands were stuck clenched, and I could barely move my arms. I spent a lot of time on the neurology floor before returning home where I needed 24/7 care and help due to these new challenges. Luckily, we had many friends that stepped in to assist my parents so they could work to cover the piling medical bills. I have gone to countless neuro therapy appointments including a nine week inpatient stay at Mary FreeBed in Michigan to relearn how to communicate, swallow, use full lung capacity, work on cognitive function and memory, lift my arms, stretch out my spastic hands, regain trunk control, and stand on my legs with KAFO braces in hopes of walking again one day.

At this time I have regained the ability to whisper, move my arms, use my thumb, sit without support and do daily care independently. I have come a good way from March 15, 2023 but definitely still have a ways to go … I am lucky to be here and have such incredible support from everyone around me. I go to the gym everyday to continue to build strength and work on regaining my voice and cognitive function as well. Inch by inch, day by day I will be thankful for every little bit of function I get back from a life that feels like it was stolen from me.

I started to learn how to golf when I was 7 years old. Over the years growing up I played a lot of golf with my dad and eventually friends too. I was on the golf team my first two years of high school prior to my neurological event. My freshman year I bounced between JV and Varsity. After a summer of hard work and dragging my clubs to the local golf course everyday, I was blessed enough to make the Varsity team. I made it to State my sophomore year!. I made lifelong friends with my teammates who have been a huge support throughout this journey. I have started to learn how to golf sitting in my chair with the help of my former teammates … two which are D1 college golfers: Elise at North Dakota State University and Kate at University of Montana.I had them give golfing a try in my wheelchair and they couldn’t seem to even hit the ball at all!

I would love to be able to get out on the course again with my dad and my friends along with getting the full motion of a swing and even getting to putt on the greens. It is often hard to be on the sidelines watching others do things you desperately want to. A Vertacat would allow me to be included and provide a sense of normalcy, as well as help me relearn a part of my life I onced loved. "

The VertaCat was originally designed for disabled golfers, but can also be customized for use in other sports and leisure activities such as fishing, archery, hiking and hunting. With its strong chassis frame, the VertaCat can cope with gradients of up to 30 degrees and sideways inclinations of about 17 degrees. The VertaCat will turn automatically into a safe position should these limits be exceeded. The design allows for an absolutely secure footing in any position.

The therapeutic benefits of the golf game for physically limited players are immense. It stimulates the metabolism, stretches the muscles, reduces spasticity, and enhances the mobility of their joints.The physical therapy and positive psychological benefits a disabled person achieves from standing to participate in sports and recreation has an enormous impact on their lives.

Your support isn’t just a piece of equipment; it symbolizes a chance for Hope to rebuild a life that was momentarily derailed.

Let's Make a Difference Together