Matthew Jankovich Memorial Fund
Donation protected
In the early morning hours of September 21th, Matthew Jankovich had a seizure in his sleep and passed away. He was 13 years old. Matthew was severely affected by autism and had seizure disorder.
Matthew was one of four children to Jared and Colleen. The family all loved and cared for Matthew very much as was evident in this video:
https://youtu.be/g19UFK2gSTE
He had a smile that could light up the room. He touched every person, who had the privilege to meet him. In his short time with us, Matthew was a huge inspiration. This was never more apparent than his influence on his mother Colleen, driving her to push for autism insurance reform in their home state of Nebraska. Colleen joined the Autism Family Network along with the Autism Society of Nebraska and Autism Speaks in their fight for insurance coverage for autism treatment. With the help of a bunch of fellow determined and persistent autism parents, they succeeded in passing legislation in April (Autism Awareness Month) of 2014 making Nebraska the 36th state in the union with an autism mandate on the books.
Colleen was one of four recognized as Parent Adovcate of the Year at the Autism Speaks Autism Law Summit in Nashville, TN in November of last year. The other three were her fellow autism moms from Nebraska. These women were a force to be reckoned with. The governor even commented that they led one of the strongest legislative efforts he had ever witnessed.
We are asking for the autism community to rally around the Jankovich family in their time of grief. The Jankovich family wants to donate swings and a park bench in Matthew’s memory, at his favorite park, in Omaha, NE. They also want to establish a respite fund for autism parents who may need a little break.
Matthew was one of four children to Jared and Colleen. The family all loved and cared for Matthew very much as was evident in this video:
https://youtu.be/g19UFK2gSTE
He had a smile that could light up the room. He touched every person, who had the privilege to meet him. In his short time with us, Matthew was a huge inspiration. This was never more apparent than his influence on his mother Colleen, driving her to push for autism insurance reform in their home state of Nebraska. Colleen joined the Autism Family Network along with the Autism Society of Nebraska and Autism Speaks in their fight for insurance coverage for autism treatment. With the help of a bunch of fellow determined and persistent autism parents, they succeeded in passing legislation in April (Autism Awareness Month) of 2014 making Nebraska the 36th state in the union with an autism mandate on the books.
Colleen was one of four recognized as Parent Adovcate of the Year at the Autism Speaks Autism Law Summit in Nashville, TN in November of last year. The other three were her fellow autism moms from Nebraska. These women were a force to be reckoned with. The governor even commented that they led one of the strongest legislative efforts he had ever witnessed.
We are asking for the autism community to rally around the Jankovich family in their time of grief. The Jankovich family wants to donate swings and a park bench in Matthew’s memory, at his favorite park, in Omaha, NE. They also want to establish a respite fund for autism parents who may need a little break.
Organizer and beneficiary
Lou Melgarejo
Organizer
Highland, IN
Colleen Jankovich
Beneficiary
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