When eleven-year-old Jake Fritz tried to navigate his scooter from the family van to his front door, a simple everyday task became an uphill battle. The path wasn’t paved, and his wheels constantly got caught in the bumpy, hole-ridden grass.
It is a small, physical hurdle that represents a much larger journey. Both Jake and his seven-year-old brother, Ryan, live with Duchenne muscular dystrophy—a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness over time.
“This disease makes families feel very alone,” their mother, Lauren Fritz, shared at the time. “It’s a rare disease.”
But in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the Fritz family discovered they were anything but alone.
Brothers Jake and Ryan faced Duchenne muscular dystrophy with the backing of an entire community.
Meeting the Challenge, One Project at a Time
Recognizing the daily obstacles the family faced, Scott Hamrick, president of the all-volunteer non-profit Happy 2 Be Home, stepped in to help. The organization’s entire mission is dedicated to modifying houses so that individuals with disabilities can live safely and comfortably. As Hamrick points out, finding accessible housing on the open market is incredibly rare because families who build them stay in them.
The community’s incredible partnership with the Fritz family changed their daily lives. Thanks to a successful initial fundraiser, they were able to install a proper home ramp and completely remodel their bathroom.
“We have an accessible sink, toilet, and a roll-in shower that the boys can now use,” Lauren said. “It’s made life a lot easier.”
The Next Step: Smoothing the Road Ahead
To tackle the next big hurdle—transforming that bumpy, unpaved driveway into a wide, smooth, accessible path so Jake’s scooter wouldn’t get stuck—the neighborhood threw a massive benefit event packed with live music, dancing, and a silent auction.
The sweetest part of the event? Jake and Ryan were busy creating and donating their very own custom artwork to be sold at the auction.
For Lauren, seeing her neighbors wrap their arms around her boys rewrote what this journey felt like.
“In the face of something so difficult, that there’s so much kindness, and so much love out there, too.”
It is a beautiful reminder of the incredible impact a neighborhood can have when they choose to lift each other up.
Editor’s Note: This post highlights a heartwarming community story originally reported by Ukee Washington for CBS Philadelphia.
