Help Kelsey & Freddie Stay Close to Hottenstein

Hottenstein survived a serious stroke. Now we’re trying to give the people who love him something simple: time beside him while he recovers.

Kelsey and her young son Freddie live in Show Low, Arizona. Hottenstein is receiving rehabilitation care in Peoria — roughly 188 miles away each way.

That means visiting him can require about 376 miles and more than seven hours of driving round trip.

Rather than asking Kelsey and Freddie to repeatedly make that exhausting drive, we’re trying to help them get to Peoria and stay near Hottenstein for 3–7 days.

Our First Goal: $500

I want donors to be able to see what their help can actually accomplish.

GET THEM THERE & HOME — about $100

⛽ Gas: $100

Approximately 376 miles round trip between Show Low and Peoria.

Once they’re there, every additional day funded means more time near Hottenstein without another seven-hour round trip.

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DAY & NIGHT ONE

️ Lodging — $70

Food & basic needs — $50

Taxes, rate changes & incidentals — $30

Day/Night One: about $150

Running total: $250

That first $250 can help get Kelsey and Freddie to Peoria, feed them, give them their first night near Hottenstein, and get them home.

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DAY & NIGHT TWO

️ Lodging — $70

Food & basic needs — $50

Taxes, rate changes & incidentals — $30

Another day near Hottenstein: about $150

Running total: $400

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DAY & NIGHT THREE

Another full day follows the same working budget:

️ Lodging — $70

Food & basic needs — $50

Taxes, rate changes & incidentals — $30

Another day: about $150

Running total: $550

At roughly this point, we’ve potentially helped make a three-night stay near Hottenstein possible instead of three exhausting trips back and forth.

❤️ So What Does Our First $500 Do?

Our $500 first goal gets us most of the way to funding three days and nights near Hottenstein.

And if we cross $500?

Great. We keep going.

DAY & NIGHT FOUR — +$150

Running total: about $700

DAY & NIGHT FIVE — +$150

Running total: about $850

DAY & NIGHT SIX — +$150

Running total: about $1,000

DAY & NIGHT SEVEN — +$150

Running total: about $1,150

These are working estimates, not promises. Hotel rates, taxes, gas prices, food costs and unexpected expenses can change. If one category costs less than estimated, those funds can remain available for the other stated immediate needs.

$500 is our first fundraising target — not a cutoff.

Every additional $150 raised can potentially mean another day near Hottenstein.

Why Am I Organizing This?

I’m a longtime friend of Jason “Hottenstein.”

I’ve known him for many years as someone loyal, stubborn, funny, generous and deeply protective of the people he loves.

When I learned that he had suffered a serious stroke in Arizona, my first reaction was that I needed to do something.

I’m in Chicago. They’re in Arizona.

I’ve contributed as much financially as I safely can myself. What I can keep doing is organizing, researching, sharing, and making sure people who want to help have a clear and transparent way to do it.

I can’t fix Hottenstein’s stroke.

I can’t erase the fear or uncertainty surrounding his recovery.

But together, we can help give the people who love him something incredibly valuable right now:

Time with him.

If you can donate, thank you. If you can’t, sharing this fundraiser can help too.

Every dollar, every share, and every extra day together matters.

thank YOU for your TIME