<div>Big Man Big Heart and Dillan Gibbons would like you to STEP UP and HELP SUPPORT BJ Green, a disabled 5-year-old boy, and his parents to assist them in purchasing a wheelchair-accessible van. <strong>Big Man Big Heart founder Dillan Gibbons is supporting this fundraiser to raise money to assist the nephew of former Florida State running back Ryan Green – Dillan’s former teammate at St. Petersburg Catholic High School – in obtaining the necessary funds for his parents to purchase a wheelchair accessible van</strong>.
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<div>Unfortunately, an unthinkable tragedy occurred in the Green family two years ago. Ryan’s beloved nephew, BJ, fell into his parent’s pool while his great-grandmother was babysitting him and drowned. Ryan was the first family member to find BJ, and he administered CPR immediately – remarkably saving the 3-year-old child’s life. Unfortunately, this non-fatal drowning event left BJ Green with life-altering debilitating injuries. He was hospitalized for months and underwent extensive medical treatment at multiple hospitals. He has been participating in physical, occupational, and speech therapy over the last two years in an effort to improve his mobility and communication skills.
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<div>As a result of the non-fatal drowning event, BJ now has a type of Traumatic Brain Injury called Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, which happens when the brain goes through a lack of oxygen, causing permanent injury to the brain tissue. BJ is now wheelchair dependent and is unable to move his body, play, or communicate the way he used to. Because of the injury, the connection from his brain to the muscles all over his body have been disrupted, making it significantly more difficult for him to do everyday 5-year-old activities. He will continue to require treatments and therapies to improve his quality of life. Despite this tragic accident, BJ is now attending school and goes to a medical after-care program where he can be with peers who also have medical conditions or disabilities and receive therapy services on a consistent basis. BJ recently received an AAC Speech Tablet Device, which is a communication device he can use with his eyes to communicate his needs – which was thankfully covered by insurance. He is unable to speak or communicate without this remarkable device.
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<div>His Mom is unable to afford a wheelchair-accessible van to transport BJ to and from school, after-care, and all of the medical appointments he has. She has to lift BJ to put him into her car and then put his wheelchair into her trunk each time she transports BJ. As he grows, this will no longer be practical or even feasible. Wheelchair accessible vans cost upwards of $70,000 so we're hoping to at least raise that amount for BJ and his family. <strong>Big Man Big Heart would like you to STEP UP and HELP SUPPORT this 5-year-old boy and his parents by assisting them in purchasing a wheelchair-accessible van. </strong>
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<div>BJ’s family and their church have put together an event called <strong>BJ STRONG</strong>, which will be held at Prayer Tower Church of God and Christ at 1137 37th Street S. in St. Pete on February 17th, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Members of the Gibbons family will be there to support and encourage BJ and his family as they lift him up and raise funds to help with his expenses and long-term care. <strong>With this event, the Greens and Big Man Big Heart also want to help raise awareness for child drowning prevention</strong>. Sadly, the State of Florida loses more children between the ages of 0-9 to drowning than any other state in the US. In fact, there were enough children lost to drowning in Florida from 2019 to 2020 to fill up three preschool classrooms. The St. Pete Fire Department will be at the event, giving information on drowning prevention and passing out free child-sized life jackets. BIG MAN BIG HEART will be helping with food for the event and sponsoring BJ Strong T-shirts, which will be sold at the event. We hope that the Florida State Football and the St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay Area communities will JOIN US to SUPPORT BJ STRONG and DONATE and SHARE this GoFundMe or show up in person at the event to show this football family that we CARE.
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<div>If you know anyone who has the ability to DONATE or DISCOUNT a wheelchair-accessible van for BJ GREEN or in any way help facilitate his family’s ability to afford an accessible vehicle, please message BIG MAN BIG HEART through our contact form <a href="https://bigmanbigheart.com/contact/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a> or through the contact button on this fundraising page.
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BJ Strong

BJ Strong

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