Hi!
My name is Scott Williams. I would like to tell you about a fundraising effort, called “Smiles For Mikey”, to benefit my grandson, Mikey Budzinski.
Smiles For Mikey (SFM) takes its name right from Mikey, who is an 11-year-old resident of Susquehanna County, PA.
Despite his constant challenges, Mikey never fails to wear the biggest, most beautiful smile.
Mikey loves spending time with his sisters, Mackenzie, Sondra, and Katrina and has a blast playing video games, especially “Fortnite”.
He loves superheroes (Spiderman is his favorite) as well as Hot Wheels. And carrots are his favorite food.
Mikey has been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (MD). One out of 3,500 boys is affected by MD, which is an inherited disorder known specifically for progressive muscle weakness.
Mikey has a hard time walking and is unable to run or jump like other kids his age.
Due to the progression of his disease, Mikey now relies on a motorized wheelchair, which enables him to move quickly on his own and to maintain some semblance of independence.
Unfortunately, Mikey’s family does not own a wheelchair accessible vehicle, which is also not available through Mikey’s medical insurance.
As a result, Mikey is only able to use his wheelchair during the hours he is attending school at Mountain View Elementary.
Without a wheelchair accessible vehicle, Mikey is forced to leave his wheelchair parked at the school when he goes home each day and on the weekends.
When he is home, Mikey is unable to play outside with his siblings.
Each time they attempt to go somewhere, Mikey’s parents must struggle to lift him into their truck, whereas Mikey would be able to enter or exit a wheelchair accessible vehicle on his own, without waiting for anyone else’s help.
Mikey is looking forward to the day when he will be able to zip around in his electric wheelchair (really, really fast!) inside their home.
Mikey’s sisters are looking forward to being able to play together, with their brother, outside, when Mikey can finally bring his electric wheelchair home with him.
The SFM Benefit was created to raise funds towards the purchase of a wheelchair accessible vehicle and to grant Mikey the independence everyone deserves.