Support Akin’s Recovery Fund

From Alison: 

Three years ago,  my son Akin Ogunleye was a 26 year old learning-disabled young man who had made it. He was a Special Olympics athlete who had graduated high school and even delivered his high school graduation speech. Afterwards, he volunteered for the Police Department for two years and held down a steady job proudly washing cars. I had worked so hard as his mother to get him to this place in life--to a life of much independence for a learning disabled child. He absolutely loved his job and his life. But one afternoon on the basketball court with friends would change all of our lives forever.

On January 24, 2016, Akin’s heart stopped and he died. Santa Clarita paramedics recognized him from Special Olympics and refused to give up. People are usually pronounced dead after six minutes. After 30 minutes with no heartbeat, paramedics asked everyone who had gathered to surround Akin in a circle to pray. As soon as the head paramedic opened in prayer, Akin came back to us. An arthymic heartbeat returned and Akin was rushed to the hospital where he would spend the next four months fighting for his life.

In the hospital, Akin was given a 1% chance of survival. His whole body was put on ice for 24 hours to save brain function, put in a medically induced coma and had a defibrillator surgically installed to ensure a heartbeat. He fought for his life through infection after infection, test after test the doctors said he would fail. One of his eyes had to be removed because of the severity of the brain damage. After six months in the hospital and full time rehabilitation, Akin returned home to 24/7 nursing care which continues to this day.

Akin is nothing short of a miracle. His name literally translates to "A Warrior Has Returned." And he most certainly embodies the true meaning of his name.

I started this campaign to ask if you could help us make Akin’s fight just a little easier.

Over the course of the last three years, Akin has made incredible strides towards his goal to walk again. Akin is in a wheelchair and attends weekly appointments for occupational, speech, and physical therapy. Unfortunately, most of his ongoing therapeutic expenses and necessary equipments are not covered by insurance and the financial burden continues to grow. Akin struggles to get around a house that wasn't designed with a wheelchair bound person in mind. Necessary equipments like lifts, beds, ramps, shower assisters, standing frames, costs thousands upon thousands of dollars. He is also really struggling to get in and out of the 2006 aging, standard van that has helped us get as far as we have. He really needs a wheelchair accessible van to get to and from therapy and encourage his morale about leaving our house. Difficult entries and exits discourage and depress him and I just know what a huge confidence boost it would be for him to zoom in and out of an accessible mobility van. 

My goal is to make our home and the car less of a battlefield for our family's warrior. 
Please help me help my miracle child. 
No amount is too small. Any support would be so deeply appreciated and put to good use for the betterment of Akin's life.

Thank you so much for reading this!

May you be blessed ten fold,
Alison