‘Just push forward’: Lincoln community attends fundraiser for 11-year-old with rare disorder

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Families, neighbors and many more teamed up at a puzzle fundraiser on Sunday to help a local family buy an accessible van for their son.

11-year-old Hunter Whisler is living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare and fatal disorder which leads to muscle degeneration and weakness.

But Hunter’s grandmother, Susan Samuelson, said they aren’t letting the disease stop them from staying positive.

“The main thing is we try not to think of the progression of the disease,” she said. “We have really learned to literally live in the moment. Enjoy every second we have and just push forward. We give back also because we need to be able to do things where we think and help and feel like we’re making a little bit of a difference too.”

She said having the accessible van will make it easier for him to get to school, medical appointments and spend time with family and friends.

And because of these fundraisers, they’re getting closer to reaching their goal of $95,000.

“We are less than $6,000 away. We might even be a little bit closer, but we’re really close,” Samuelson said.

She said they got the idea from Hunter’s love for puzzles and decided to lean on the community for a fun, but supportive cause.

“When you’re asking for help for yourself, it is humbling, but it also reminds you of how good people are and how good the world is,” she said. “The support and the love that we’ve received, I can’t even say enough words about it.”

Samuelson said they plan on having more events in the future to continue bringing awareness to Hunter’s cause.