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Finn’s Friends is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to providing family assistance to those affected by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
"We are a nonprofit organization committed to supporting families affected by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) who are struggling with the substantial expenses associated with caring for their loved ones. Despite being a small organization, we are resolute in our dedication to advocating for Finn and all his friends facing the challenges of this disease. Our mission is to provide unwavering support to these families in their journey against DMD."
What is Duchenne?
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare and severe genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.
The average diagnosis for a child with Duchenne is four years old.
The average lifespan of an individual with Duchenne is 30 years.
Duchenne is caused by a change to the dystrophin gene on the X chromosome. Dystrophin helps with the repair and function of the muscles.
Get involved
Finn's Friends organizes two major fundraisers annually, and our dedicated volunteers serve as the backbone to guarantee the success of these events. If you're interested in joining us as a volunteer, we warmly welcome you! Whether you have a particular skill to contribute, time to spare, or resources to support our families, we'd love to connect with you. Explore our volunteer opportunities and upcoming events below!
Family Assistance
In 2023, we established our Family Assistance Program to support families impacted by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Throughout the year, we disbursed over $100,000 to families facing financial challenges while caring for their loved ones nationwide. Our assistance covers a range of needs, including wheelchair ramps, accessible vans, home modifications, service dogs, power wheelchairs, and aid with living expenses. We are dedicated to providing transformative support to families directly affected by the significant financial burdens associated with caring for a loved one with DMD.
If you are a family living with Duchenne and need help, please fill out the application form below. We aspire to play a small but meaningful role in your family's journey.
Families we've helped
Neil and Neevian Tangsali
Meet the Tangsali Family! Finn’s Friends was honored to meet the Tangsali family and award both boys, Neil and Neevian who have DMD, with portable power wheelchairs. These wheelchairs make traveling to doctor appointments and activities outside of the home so much easier for the family.
Tushar, Neil and Neivvan's father wrote: “I want to thank you for everything you've done for our family. You've gone out of your way to help our family with the hotel reservations and the portable chairs, even though we have just known each other for so little time. May GOD bless Finn, you and your wonderful family”.
Stephen Carr
Meet the Carr Family! The Carr family had been raising money for the past few years to afford a wheelchair accessible van for their son Stephen. We had the pleasure of donating the remaining balance they needed to secure this life changing van.
Casey, Stephen's dad, said: “Bless you Dear Lady for all your help and all you do. We got our van yesterday.”
Axel Monsivias
Meet the Monsivias Family! Axel was not able to utilize his power wheelchair at home because he did not have a ramp to access his house. Leaving his chair at school added a burden at home for his mom and dad who had to lift and carry him into and around the house.
Now that he has a ramp, he can bring his power chair home which makes life easier for him and his family and gives him the freedom to be mobile!
Mitchell Coker
Meet the Mitchell Coker Family! Mitchell's mom was in desperate need of help with her living expenses. She has cared for Mitchell and his twin brother (who passed away from DMD), her whole life and was struggling to make ends meet. We were excited to have the opportunity to take some of the financial stress off of her shoulders.
Josh Harker
Meet the Harker Family! We were excited to provide Josh with a portable ramp outside of his home to help with an easier transition from car to home.
Josh's Aunt, Sarah Harker Leary said: “Having the support of Finn's Friends in gaining the new portable aluminum wheelchair ramp for Josh, has helped us be able to get him into and out of our home and other places that he was not able to visit easily and confidently before. We greatly appreciate from the bottom of our hearts, the quick and ready assistance we received from this amazing organization and we will continue to advocate for Joshua as best we can to give him the best of life."
Ethan Higginbotham
Meet Ethan Higginbotham. He is a junior at Wichita State University. He is currently living independently in an apartment, studying Physics and Astronomy. Finn's Friends was honored to partner with KSU PI Kappa Alpha to assist Ethan in getting a service dog. Einstein is now living with Ethan full-time and assists Ethan daily with tasks around his home and campus.
Brock and Graham Andrews
Meet the Andrews Family! They have 2 sons, Brock and Graham, who both have DMD. Brock is in a wheelchair full-time which makes getting around his own home a challenge. Chris Andrews (Dad) contacted us with their need for a bathroom modification to include a wheelchair accessible shower and a ceiling hoist to make showering for Brock safer and easier!
We were so happy to be able to provide financial assistance to help the Andrews family, Brock specifically, regain a sense of confidence and mobility when showering!
Arjun Ramachandran
Meet Arjun. His mother reached out to us regarding a more accessible shower for him. This is what Padmaja had to say after completing his shower modification.
"The new shower completed yesterday will be great for Arjun and me in many ways, especially since he lost all mobility and his ability to stand."
"Our old shower was challenging to get in because of height issues, so we had to place towels on the bathroom floor since he had lost all mobility and ability to stand for the past couple of years. It became harder to lift him. He rolled his chair onto the towels, and then I showered him. He uses an office chair as he can still transfer himself from his bed to his office chair and wheelchair. We could not use a hoyer lift as he was not comfortable in a hoyer lift, and also, due to limited space, it was not easy to move the hoyer lift around. "
"After he was done showering, I had to clean up the water in the basement before it started leaking and then wash and dry the towels."
"Now I can easily roll him in and shower him with confidence. I plan on getting a shower wheelchair so he can roll into the shower. Also, I can give him frequent showers. "
Victor Martinez
Meet Victor Martinez! Victor desperately needed easier access to his bathroom. Finn's friend was able to widen the doorway so that his electric wheelchair could easily fit and make it easier and safer for his mother to assist him. We had the privilege of covering the cost of this modification!
Victor also needed a wheelchair-accessible van. From an early age, Victor used public bus transportation to and from school, making the days longer and adding stress for his mother. At our 2023 Golf Tournament, because of our generous supporters, we raised enough money to cover the remaining cost to secure Victor's van!