Over $40,000 Still Needed for Purchase of Handicap Accessible Van
The local community came together on Saturday, Oct. 2 for a 50/50 eight-ball pool tournament fundraiser to benefit Kasen Davis, a two-year-old with a rare genetic disorder called mitochondrial disease and Leigh syndrome.
The fundraiser, held at Diamond Billiards in Cape Coral, brought in over $9,300 that the young boy’s family will use towards the purchase of a handicap accessible van to aid them in getting Kasen to medical appointments. The family is still short of their $61,780 goal to purchase the van.
A GoFundMe account is set up to help raise additional funds at https://gofund.me/78c199a9.
“We were so touched by all the donations to help us care for Kasen,” said Kasen’s mother Jen Gonzalez.
“We still have a long way to go, but it really meant a lot to our family to have so many people chip in to help. We truly had tears of joy.”
The fundraiser also featured a silent auction that included over 50 items including those to Naples Hilton, Shula’s Steakhouse, Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Key West Express, and numerous pieces of fine jewelry.
Kasen spent the first 30 days of his life in the NICU at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami and has had many visits to the hospital since then. Kasen has several appointments to go to every week including physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech/feeding therapy as well as multiple specialty doctor appointments.
“We have been fortunate enough to receive a stroller that supports Kasen’s body properly and comfortably, but the new stroller is very heavy and awkward to transport in our current vehicle, which is a Toyota Camry. Future chairs and equipment will be heavier and larger as Kasen grows. He is getting very heavy for me to carry from car seat to stroller for every appointment,” said Jen Gonzalez.
For more information on Kasen and their fundraising campaign, please call Jane Davis at (239) 246- 6924 or visit the GoFundMe page.
