Early in 2023, we received an application from 17-year-old Fredrick, along with a very eloquent letter sharing his story with us. Fredrick was a senior in high school when he got into a bad car accident, causing his car to catch on fire while he was still in it. Fredrick suffered 3rd and 4th degree burns, along with a TBI and several other life-threatening injuries.
In Fredrick’s letter, he expressed what receiving a magic moment would mean to him. He told us, “I want to go on a trip with my family. It’s somewhere different and it’s not home. That will take our minds off everything that’s surrounding my life. Hopefully on the trip I can make magic moments and happy memories with my mom, dad and brother because they are my biggest supporters and are beside me all of the time.”
When our board members saw this heartbreaking letter, they immediately wanted to do something extra special for Freddy’s reveal, but the surprise worked out even better than expected. We arranged for a limo to be parked outside Freddy’s home before he left for physical therapy. When Freddy asked about the car, the driver played along by telling Freddy that he was “off the clock” but didn’t mind taking him to physical therapy. Instead, they drove to where there was a red carpet leading to the door. After walking down the red carpet, surrounded by supporters cheering him on, Freddy learned that he would spend his 19th birthday with his family in Hollywood, California.
