Kit Bauer with his mom, Amanda Hewitt, and three brothers, Keegan, Ryan and Finn. (Not picture: sister, Hannah.)
The community is coming together to help an Egg Harbor Township boy go places.
Killian Bauer, 9, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive neuromuscular disorder that caused a loss of motor, pulmonary and cardiac function.
He was diagnosed at 5. Now 9 years old, he needs a wheelchair to get around.
But that is not the hardest part.
It’s getting “Kit” from one place to another.
Amanda Hewitt does everything she can for her son, while also tending to her other children, including Kit’s twin brother.
Lifting the 148-pound boy is difficult enough for the single mom, who often suffers back pain as a result.
A video she posted online shows the process she goes through.
It’s also impossible to take Kit’s custom wheelchair with them as “it weighs 441 pounds, and cannot be lifted into the van, period,” his mother says.
As a result, he has to wait outside sitting in his chair for the school bus, which is equipped with a lift.
Hewitt bought a car cabana to act as cover against the elements while he waits. She longs for the day she can let him wait inside his own custom van complete with a lift for his wheelchair.
The family’s current van is too old with too many miles to be upgraded. Instead, they are hoping to raise money for a custom van with lift.
The cost is $76,456.82, according to a proposal by MobilityWorks in Woodbury, Gloucester County.
Hewitt only needs to get about halfway there, thanks to the Jett Foundation, a nonprofit that helps families affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
“We lucked out big time and were accepted to the Jett Foundation, who will pay for half the cost of the van and we raise the other half,” Hewitt explained to BreakingAC. “I think only 16 families were chosen nationwide, and we were one of the lucky ones.”
Those who want to donate can go to Kit's page on the Jett Foundation's website.
She took to Facebook groups for help, and the response — especially from her hometown — has been great, she said.
An anonymous donor gave a $5,000 check.
Kelly Hunt, a teacher at the Dr. Joyanne Miller Elementary School, is donating $1,000 on behalf of the Donny Foundation.
Hewitt’s brother’s co-workers at the Bistro department in ShopRite donated $250.
She’s even had offers from other mothers who have done their own fundraisers for other issues.
Kit Bauer“We still have a long way to go, but the support has been great,” Hewitt says.
Kit’s school is even having its first dress down day for the cause Wednesday.
Hewitt is bringing bracelets she had made for supporters that say, “His fight IS our fight.”
“Once a few teachers found out about Kit’s situation, word spread a lot,” she said. “I’ve had a few teachers’ aids from different schools stop me to get information while dropping my other son off.”
The new van would be just for Kit’s transport, Hewitt explained. She will keep her old van to get her to and from work.
“So this will be Kit’s van for sure,” she said.
