The gift of mobility is often lost on many. Truth be told, prior to Jadon’s diagnosis it was something we too took for granted. Our eyes have since been opened. With a disease like SMA, watching your child be robbed of this gift is heart-wrenching. Often times we find ourselves yearning and longing for movement. Any movement. No matter how minimal or slight.
We would like to introduce you to Melissa and Allan Kloiber, Mom and Dad to adorable Jacey and founders of Jacey’s Journey. Like so many SMA parents, they wanted Jacey to experience what had been lost. They wanted to see her thrive and be able to reach for the world around her like so many kiddos her age. And so began their quest to make it happen and the invention of the Angel Arm.
Gravity is the worst enemy to a child with extremely low muscle tone. By reducing gravity, movement can often occur when it would not have otherwise. The counterweight of the Angel Arm takes the pull of gravity off the child’s limb enabling them to move. The device is developed to be used in any direction, on any limb. While we could go into the technical aspects of the device, seeing is truly believing.
Simply put, the Angel Arm helps SMA Type 1 kiddos move.
Grace Grutter, mom to sweet Nella, summed it up beautifully when describing Nella’s initial use of the Angel Arm:
“I was in tears yesterday…With the help of Nella’s new angel arm, I was able to see her reach for a toy for the very first time in her life! It was such an amazing moment that I will forever be grateful for. Nella was so determined to grab it, and was SO proud of herself. She was smiling SO big! What a huge blessing to be able to have this moment.”
We have been inspired by the determination the Kloibers have demonstrated in developing this device and building them for other SMA families. Melissa and Allan only charge for materials and shipping, not for the extensive time spent lovingly building or packaging the Angel Arm. Despite only charging for materials, the device may be too expensive for some families. Because of this, they have set up a wish list for families asking for funding of the arm.
Jadon’s Hope Foundation is proud to announce we have issued our first grant to help fund the Angel Arm wish list. JHF wants to see every child who wants an Angel Arm to have an Angel Arm. We are committed and prepared to do more if the need arises. We believe so strongly in what the Kloibers have created that our hope is to do all we can to help get kids moving.
As SMA families it is important that we all continue to support each other through this life storm. Necessity is the mother of invention and where there is a need SMA families find a way. If you would like to directly support the efforts of funding Angel Arms you can do so at the following link. Every dollar donated through this link will go directly to funding Angel Arms for families.
If you are an SMA Family wanting to learn more about the Angel Arm, please click on the following link.
If you would like to apply for financial assistance for an Angel Arm please use this link.
Jadon's Hope Blog 