The Wahlstrom family of four, is getting a miraculous gift to help care for their two children suffering from Batten disease, reported CBS Minnesota. With the love of their local community, and nonprofit organization Journey Home USA, they will be receiving a brand new home to help aid their children as their diseases intensify.
Batten disease is a neurological disease that develops in childhood, and is fatal. To learn more about the disease visit here.
The Wahlstrom family is very aware that their children may not be with them in 10 years. Yet, they will do whatever it takes to keep their lifestyles as normal and comfortable as possible.
Lydia, is now 13 years-old and is completely blind. She also is now dependent on assistance when walking, or she results to crawling when needed. Yet, her braille knowledge is amazing and keeps her reading and happy. Drew, a few years younger, still is able to walk, but also is blind. Both the children face intense seizures and those will only get worse as time progresses, along with the degeneration of their movement.
Parents Todd and Laura quickly learned their house wasn’t providing them with the access and assistance they genuinely need, especially as the children’s symptoms worsen. Their home needs to have more space for Lydia’s wheelchair — and more space means not just more space in a room, but hallway space, bigger doors, bathrooms, etc. More space is what they needed, and a newly renovated house is what they got.
Journey Home USA bought a home and instantly gathered a crew to start the renovations. Local families all chipped in their time and energy to help get the home to where it needed to be for the Wahlstroms. The journey ahead for the family is unclear and scary, but the Wahlstroms couldn’t be more grateful to be given something so special to help with the unavoidable and painful process.
The family hopes to move in come April 2018. If you’d like to donate to the cause, please visit here.
