VIENNA, Ohio (WYTV) – Medical bills can be costly, especially when you have a disease that requires expensive equipment and therapy to meet special needs.
Nearly 500,000 people across the U.S. have symptoms of the cerebral palsy — the central nervous system disorder that impairs voluntary muscle movement. On Friday, the Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini Foundation held a golf outing to raise money for the Faber family and their son, Eric, who lives with the disease.
Eric Faber started experiencing epilepsy with seizures at just five weeks old. Now six years old, he is bound to a wheelchair or a walker to get around, and he attends therapy several times a week. Eric’s father, Dan Faber, said the family is just trying to take things one day at a time.
“He has therapies in school, he has therapies outside of school, but he’s a really happy boy otherwise. He has no idea,” he said.
When the cost of therapy started hitting the family and insurance wasn’t helping, they reached out to the Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini Foundation for help. The foundation was formed in January 2015 by Youngstown boxing legend, Mancini, to help local families in need.
For the Faber family, insurance didn’t cover some of the costs of therapy as well as home adaptation of some of Eric’s equipment.
On Friday, Eric and his family were featured at the Second Annual Ray Boom Boom Mancini Foundation Golf Event.
Ray Mancini said he is happy to help out.
“If you meet the young man, he’s beautiful. He’s absolutely beautiful,” he said. “That’s what makes it all worthwhile. That’s when you say we’re doing it for the right reasons.”
The Mancini Foundation also has an online donation center set up for Eric. You can find more information at rayboomboommancini.com.
