Swim Therapy for Claire
Donation protected

Greetings, my name is Dustin and I am a close friend of AJ and Michelle. I have known both of them for over 15 years back to the days when AJ and I were roommates in college. A lot certainly has changed since then and we are both raising families with kids of similar ages. I have been following the progress of Claire since the time before she was born and when AJ and Michelle first learned about the diagnosis that their family was given a few months before her arrival.
Many people close to AJ and Michelle may be aware that Claire is special but also may not have a full understanding of the severity of the diagnosis of their daughter, who was born in early 2016 with a serious and debilitating genetic condition. While they have no trouble talking about Claire and sharing news about her condition, they are frankly quite private with the technical term for the diagnosis she was given, one for privacy, and two as they are not ones for pity or attention. They have also learned that having them or close ones scour the internet by searching for more information about the diagnosis doesn't give much in the way of real content or comfort, which is another reason they like to simply keep it to themselves. There is no changing the genes we are given and what Claire has is deemed as ‘life-limiting’ by her medical professionals. Claire’s case is so exceedingly rare that that are merely 200 known children in the world with a similar diagnosis. While some children who have it may appear ‘typical’ for their age, that is usually just how it appears on the surface. Most others are medically fragile and have multiple medical conditions which require constant attention. For some children it is fatal before or at birth and many times as an infant much younger than Claire is now.
Claire falls somewhere in the middle-to-severe within the spectrum of kids with a similar diagnosis. She was able to leave the hospital after 69 days from birth when she demonstrated that she is able to thrive with the need of much medical assistance and equipment. She has been back in the hospital several times since and has spent a total of 120 days, or roughly 1/7th of her life at Children’s Hospital. Claire just celebrated her 2nd birthday in February. At home she requires nearly constant attention from two nursing companies who stay at her side 16-24 hours a day. Claire has a heart condition for which a repair was attempted but not corrected, respiratory disease which limits her lung capacity and ability clear fluids and mucus, reflux which prevents oral feeding and also poses further risk to her lungs, scoliosis and kyphosis which affect her future lung development and can cause extreme pain, hydrocephalus which is a build up of fluid in her brain and causes a multitude of developmental issues, overly sensitive skin (which was actually the original source of determining her condition), central and obstructive apnea, feeding tubes which give her 100% of her nutrition and medications, and certain physical deformities just to name a few of more her ‘major’ needs. On top of that she requires thumb splints as well as braces on her legs and ankles to help maintain the ability to support weight and as of early April, AJ and Michelle learned that Claire also requires glasses for significant near-sightedness. Just some of the equipment that Claire needs to maintain her health as best as possible includes a specialized hospital bed, a modified stroller/wheelchair, a stander, an oxygen generator, a hi-flow air compressor, a breathing line humidifier, a nebulizer, a vest treatment machine (similar to those used by cystic fibrosis patients), a feeding pump, and a pulse oximeter to monitor her heart rate and O2 saturations around the clock. AJ and Michelle were fortunate that just before learning about the arrival of Claire, they had finalized and already begun construction of their current home. A higher power was certainly driving their decisions at that time because they added features such as ADA width doors and a no-threshold shower to one of the bathrooms in the event that anyone who ever needed to live with them would have easy access to the main floor. These features were put into use from day one when Claire came home from Children's Hospital. AJ also built a ramp in their garage last year to help easily move Claire in her modified stroller/wheelchair to get to their vehicle as well as to go outside for walks without extra assistance to carry her or her equipment to street level. Claire also takes at least 20+ doses of various medications even on ‘healthy’ days. Some of the weekly therapies she requires include speech, physical therapy, and occupational therapy both from a private practice and the local school district who has been tracking her needs since infancy. On top of that she visits one of her 14 various specialists through the year, some as few as once but others as many as a half dozen times each.
During all of these trials and tribulations AJ and Michelle have maintained as much as a level of normalcy as possible for a family who is also raising a nearly 4 year old son, Owen. AJ works full time while Michelle had to reduce her hours by half to make sure Claire is able to attend therapies and doctors visits, not to mention the nearly endless task of dealing with insurance companies and ensuring that all prescription medicines are filled when needed. AJ has also maintained commitments to such things as his Board of Governors position for his fraternity, something that many others surely would have let go if given the same news of a child with so much need. He gladly makes the drive to St. Cloud 100 miles each way a few times a semester and coordinates alumni events and communications. AJ still helps out at the local marina from time to time and can also still be looked at by friends as a constant supporter of their endeavors. He makes sure he has time to keep up with their lives and families and attend events like birthday parties even though the whole family is not always able to attend. Michelle meanwhile has sacrificed many of the professional goals she once had as a teacher. Despite earning two Masters Degrees, she is no longer working in a role which requires them. She has had to leave her classroom setting after ten years as a Kindergarten teacher to focus on other roles which do not require so much commitment after regular school hours. While she used to join or lead many committees and always make herself available for volunteering in various capacities, the ability to partake in those opportunities is simply not feasible at this time. She too attempts to maintain relationships with friends and sisters within her sorority. When ‘girls night’ is planned, both her and AJ attempt to plan as well as possible so she is able to attend and get those much needed breaks. Owen has been AJ and Michelle’s rock in all of this. He is an amazing big brother to Claire and he balances out the mood in their home daily. Meanwhile, it wears heavily on Owen’s parents that they are not able to give Owen the same types of experiences that other ‘typical’ families get to undertake. There has been no family road trip, there will likely be no first fly-away get-away due to the amount of equipment Claire requires to travel, overnight trips together have so far not been possible for that same reason, and even the routine ‘Target Run’ that some families may loathe with small kids in tow is not something they have been able to do together. Throw in the fact that many intimate moments that families would have together is usually accompanied by a nurse from one of the two agencies that they need to coordinate with for Claire’s care and you can begin to get a sense of just how atypical this scene is when compared to what many would picture for your family. At no time has any of this gotten AJ, Michelle, or Owen down or caused them reason to complain.
AJ and Michelle have done so much for Claire and all they really strive to do is to enjoy whatever time they may have with her. Despite all of the therapies and medical inventions Claire does not talk, walk, crawl, or even roll completely over and some of that may never change despite her parent’s efforts to give her the best chance possible. One of Claire’s great joys in life has been to be weightless during baths and water therapy. In water, Claire is able cast off the burden of gravity and what it is doing to her back and her legs. She is able to be out of all of her braces and it is the only time she is completely unhooked from any tubes and wires. In the water she can simply be a little kid who enjoys to kick and splash around and get her hair wet. Her usual therapy location is in the bathtub in AJ and Michelle’s master bathroom but she is getting ever so close to outgrowing that option. Hot tubs are too hot for Claire with her heart condition, plus they have too much chlorine for her sensitive skin. Lakes are out of the question due to her open port to her stomach for her feeding tubes which could become infected with microorganisms in the water. Public pools are fine if they are not using too much chlorine but then there’s the ever present challenge of traveling with someone who requires two adults to go anywhere together, and of course the risk of being exposed to the illnesses that others carry throughout the year in the general public. Another medical device that AJ and Michelle hope to get approval for very soon is a ‘bathing chair’ which will allow Claire to safety sit in a shallow water environment while being independent. It is specially designed to strap her in and drain out excess water for use in a pool, bathtub, or even a large shower for the purposes of getting clean. It would be amazing for Claire if she was able to use this new device and her 'swim collar' to float around in a space much larger than a bathtub. Recently AJ and Michelle learned that Claire will not need an intervention for her heart until at least next fall. That news, coupled with the fact that there are no other major hurdles planned, brought them back to an idea that they had only dreamed about previously… What if they could figure out a way to get a pool of their own at their house that Claire could use for her therapies?
Link:
Video of Claire's Water Therapy at 23 Months
Let’s help The Lindell’s make this dream become a reality and form some great memories together as a family. I know they are already looking into various options to do something for Claire and I think the time is now to help aid them in this process and turn the project into something really special. AJ and Michelle have never been ones for receiving charity but it should be time for them, Owen, and especially Claire, to be given a signal of hope from friends and loved ones and essentially thank them for the strength and inspiration they have shown others on their incredible journey. So many have been impacted by Claire, AJ, and Michelle’s positive attitude and their outlook which can and has inspired others. I also happen to know that they have reached out to organizations like ‘Make A Wish’ and ‘Wishes & More’ to help offset the costs of their project. Unfortunately Claire does not meet the age requirement from one and with all the need for support from such organizations they have yet to hear anything meaningful back yet from the other. There are essentially two major features of a pool which would directly benefit Claire and the therapy that brings her so much joy. One is a ‘wading’ area which is much shallower than the rest of the pool, something that’s not a typical option with a standard above ground pool. The other is a salt water system which dramatically reduces the need for chlorine and chemicals that would otherwise irritate Claire’s sensitive skin. All together these features add a significant amount to the design and construction, they told me from their research through various suppliers it will cost roughly $4500 for the platform area and $2500 for the saltwater system. Any excess in proceeds from the goal for this campaign would go to other safety improvements and features such as a safety cover and I believe based on recent success that offsetting that cost is very feasible. Other considerations are wiring for an ADA chair lift if Claire needs help accessing the water in the future due to her weight, and ensuring that the final design is accessible to begin with, whether that means easily getting her up to a deck surrounding an above ground design or going forward with an in-ground or semi-in-ground design which would not have such as high ledge like you'd see for above ground ones. If the campaign isn’t able to make it to a certain threshold then plans will be altered.
I know that AJ and Michelle have been fortunate for a lot of their medical costs to date to be covered by private insurance, and the supplemental insurance policy needed for Claire, but these are items that would not normally qualify. I also know that people are always asking how they can help out and until now there wasn’t a specific piece of equipment or project that could be targeted. Please, consider making a donation to this cause, I know this act of generosity will not be taken lightly by AJ, Michelle, or anyone else who’s lives have been impacted by Claire’s story.
I have a link for the CaringBridge page that AJ updates routinely copied below if you would like to learn about Claire's journey to date and follow all of her future progress. If you have any questions or if you would like to help me spread the word of this effort, please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, please let me know if you would prefer to donate anonymously or if you’d like to contribute outside of this online method.
Thank you,
Dustin Radermacher
[email redacted]
218-839-2012
Claire's CaringBridge
Nuts and Bolts: This GoFundMe has been setup to aid in gift donations to benefit Claire. This effort is not part of a charitable organization and your gifts are not tax-deductible. Proceeds raised are intended to go to the company who will be providing potential equipment and services for the project.






Many people close to AJ and Michelle may be aware that Claire is special but also may not have a full understanding of the severity of the diagnosis of their daughter, who was born in early 2016 with a serious and debilitating genetic condition. While they have no trouble talking about Claire and sharing news about her condition, they are frankly quite private with the technical term for the diagnosis she was given, one for privacy, and two as they are not ones for pity or attention. They have also learned that having them or close ones scour the internet by searching for more information about the diagnosis doesn't give much in the way of real content or comfort, which is another reason they like to simply keep it to themselves. There is no changing the genes we are given and what Claire has is deemed as ‘life-limiting’ by her medical professionals. Claire’s case is so exceedingly rare that that are merely 200 known children in the world with a similar diagnosis. While some children who have it may appear ‘typical’ for their age, that is usually just how it appears on the surface. Most others are medically fragile and have multiple medical conditions which require constant attention. For some children it is fatal before or at birth and many times as an infant much younger than Claire is now.
Claire falls somewhere in the middle-to-severe within the spectrum of kids with a similar diagnosis. She was able to leave the hospital after 69 days from birth when she demonstrated that she is able to thrive with the need of much medical assistance and equipment. She has been back in the hospital several times since and has spent a total of 120 days, or roughly 1/7th of her life at Children’s Hospital. Claire just celebrated her 2nd birthday in February. At home she requires nearly constant attention from two nursing companies who stay at her side 16-24 hours a day. Claire has a heart condition for which a repair was attempted but not corrected, respiratory disease which limits her lung capacity and ability clear fluids and mucus, reflux which prevents oral feeding and also poses further risk to her lungs, scoliosis and kyphosis which affect her future lung development and can cause extreme pain, hydrocephalus which is a build up of fluid in her brain and causes a multitude of developmental issues, overly sensitive skin (which was actually the original source of determining her condition), central and obstructive apnea, feeding tubes which give her 100% of her nutrition and medications, and certain physical deformities just to name a few of more her ‘major’ needs. On top of that she requires thumb splints as well as braces on her legs and ankles to help maintain the ability to support weight and as of early April, AJ and Michelle learned that Claire also requires glasses for significant near-sightedness. Just some of the equipment that Claire needs to maintain her health as best as possible includes a specialized hospital bed, a modified stroller/wheelchair, a stander, an oxygen generator, a hi-flow air compressor, a breathing line humidifier, a nebulizer, a vest treatment machine (similar to those used by cystic fibrosis patients), a feeding pump, and a pulse oximeter to monitor her heart rate and O2 saturations around the clock. AJ and Michelle were fortunate that just before learning about the arrival of Claire, they had finalized and already begun construction of their current home. A higher power was certainly driving their decisions at that time because they added features such as ADA width doors and a no-threshold shower to one of the bathrooms in the event that anyone who ever needed to live with them would have easy access to the main floor. These features were put into use from day one when Claire came home from Children's Hospital. AJ also built a ramp in their garage last year to help easily move Claire in her modified stroller/wheelchair to get to their vehicle as well as to go outside for walks without extra assistance to carry her or her equipment to street level. Claire also takes at least 20+ doses of various medications even on ‘healthy’ days. Some of the weekly therapies she requires include speech, physical therapy, and occupational therapy both from a private practice and the local school district who has been tracking her needs since infancy. On top of that she visits one of her 14 various specialists through the year, some as few as once but others as many as a half dozen times each.
During all of these trials and tribulations AJ and Michelle have maintained as much as a level of normalcy as possible for a family who is also raising a nearly 4 year old son, Owen. AJ works full time while Michelle had to reduce her hours by half to make sure Claire is able to attend therapies and doctors visits, not to mention the nearly endless task of dealing with insurance companies and ensuring that all prescription medicines are filled when needed. AJ has also maintained commitments to such things as his Board of Governors position for his fraternity, something that many others surely would have let go if given the same news of a child with so much need. He gladly makes the drive to St. Cloud 100 miles each way a few times a semester and coordinates alumni events and communications. AJ still helps out at the local marina from time to time and can also still be looked at by friends as a constant supporter of their endeavors. He makes sure he has time to keep up with their lives and families and attend events like birthday parties even though the whole family is not always able to attend. Michelle meanwhile has sacrificed many of the professional goals she once had as a teacher. Despite earning two Masters Degrees, she is no longer working in a role which requires them. She has had to leave her classroom setting after ten years as a Kindergarten teacher to focus on other roles which do not require so much commitment after regular school hours. While she used to join or lead many committees and always make herself available for volunteering in various capacities, the ability to partake in those opportunities is simply not feasible at this time. She too attempts to maintain relationships with friends and sisters within her sorority. When ‘girls night’ is planned, both her and AJ attempt to plan as well as possible so she is able to attend and get those much needed breaks. Owen has been AJ and Michelle’s rock in all of this. He is an amazing big brother to Claire and he balances out the mood in their home daily. Meanwhile, it wears heavily on Owen’s parents that they are not able to give Owen the same types of experiences that other ‘typical’ families get to undertake. There has been no family road trip, there will likely be no first fly-away get-away due to the amount of equipment Claire requires to travel, overnight trips together have so far not been possible for that same reason, and even the routine ‘Target Run’ that some families may loathe with small kids in tow is not something they have been able to do together. Throw in the fact that many intimate moments that families would have together is usually accompanied by a nurse from one of the two agencies that they need to coordinate with for Claire’s care and you can begin to get a sense of just how atypical this scene is when compared to what many would picture for your family. At no time has any of this gotten AJ, Michelle, or Owen down or caused them reason to complain.
AJ and Michelle have done so much for Claire and all they really strive to do is to enjoy whatever time they may have with her. Despite all of the therapies and medical inventions Claire does not talk, walk, crawl, or even roll completely over and some of that may never change despite her parent’s efforts to give her the best chance possible. One of Claire’s great joys in life has been to be weightless during baths and water therapy. In water, Claire is able cast off the burden of gravity and what it is doing to her back and her legs. She is able to be out of all of her braces and it is the only time she is completely unhooked from any tubes and wires. In the water she can simply be a little kid who enjoys to kick and splash around and get her hair wet. Her usual therapy location is in the bathtub in AJ and Michelle’s master bathroom but she is getting ever so close to outgrowing that option. Hot tubs are too hot for Claire with her heart condition, plus they have too much chlorine for her sensitive skin. Lakes are out of the question due to her open port to her stomach for her feeding tubes which could become infected with microorganisms in the water. Public pools are fine if they are not using too much chlorine but then there’s the ever present challenge of traveling with someone who requires two adults to go anywhere together, and of course the risk of being exposed to the illnesses that others carry throughout the year in the general public. Another medical device that AJ and Michelle hope to get approval for very soon is a ‘bathing chair’ which will allow Claire to safety sit in a shallow water environment while being independent. It is specially designed to strap her in and drain out excess water for use in a pool, bathtub, or even a large shower for the purposes of getting clean. It would be amazing for Claire if she was able to use this new device and her 'swim collar' to float around in a space much larger than a bathtub. Recently AJ and Michelle learned that Claire will not need an intervention for her heart until at least next fall. That news, coupled with the fact that there are no other major hurdles planned, brought them back to an idea that they had only dreamed about previously… What if they could figure out a way to get a pool of their own at their house that Claire could use for her therapies?
Link:
Video of Claire's Water Therapy at 23 Months
Let’s help The Lindell’s make this dream become a reality and form some great memories together as a family. I know they are already looking into various options to do something for Claire and I think the time is now to help aid them in this process and turn the project into something really special. AJ and Michelle have never been ones for receiving charity but it should be time for them, Owen, and especially Claire, to be given a signal of hope from friends and loved ones and essentially thank them for the strength and inspiration they have shown others on their incredible journey. So many have been impacted by Claire, AJ, and Michelle’s positive attitude and their outlook which can and has inspired others. I also happen to know that they have reached out to organizations like ‘Make A Wish’ and ‘Wishes & More’ to help offset the costs of their project. Unfortunately Claire does not meet the age requirement from one and with all the need for support from such organizations they have yet to hear anything meaningful back yet from the other. There are essentially two major features of a pool which would directly benefit Claire and the therapy that brings her so much joy. One is a ‘wading’ area which is much shallower than the rest of the pool, something that’s not a typical option with a standard above ground pool. The other is a salt water system which dramatically reduces the need for chlorine and chemicals that would otherwise irritate Claire’s sensitive skin. All together these features add a significant amount to the design and construction, they told me from their research through various suppliers it will cost roughly $4500 for the platform area and $2500 for the saltwater system. Any excess in proceeds from the goal for this campaign would go to other safety improvements and features such as a safety cover and I believe based on recent success that offsetting that cost is very feasible. Other considerations are wiring for an ADA chair lift if Claire needs help accessing the water in the future due to her weight, and ensuring that the final design is accessible to begin with, whether that means easily getting her up to a deck surrounding an above ground design or going forward with an in-ground or semi-in-ground design which would not have such as high ledge like you'd see for above ground ones. If the campaign isn’t able to make it to a certain threshold then plans will be altered.
I know that AJ and Michelle have been fortunate for a lot of their medical costs to date to be covered by private insurance, and the supplemental insurance policy needed for Claire, but these are items that would not normally qualify. I also know that people are always asking how they can help out and until now there wasn’t a specific piece of equipment or project that could be targeted. Please, consider making a donation to this cause, I know this act of generosity will not be taken lightly by AJ, Michelle, or anyone else who’s lives have been impacted by Claire’s story.
I have a link for the CaringBridge page that AJ updates routinely copied below if you would like to learn about Claire's journey to date and follow all of her future progress. If you have any questions or if you would like to help me spread the word of this effort, please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, please let me know if you would prefer to donate anonymously or if you’d like to contribute outside of this online method.
Thank you,
Dustin Radermacher
[email redacted]
218-839-2012
Claire's CaringBridge
Nuts and Bolts: This GoFundMe has been setup to aid in gift donations to benefit Claire. This effort is not part of a charitable organization and your gifts are not tax-deductible. Proceeds raised are intended to go to the company who will be providing potential equipment and services for the project.
Fundraising team: Team Claire (5)
AJ Lindell
Organizer
Prior Lake, MN
Carlonna Lindell
Team member
Dustin Radermacher
Team member
Kelly Asplin
Team member
Erin Allison
Team member