A home for Gabe
Nearly 10 years ago, Gabe Griffin was first diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Gabe is now 12 years old and the genetic disorder, which leads to progressive muscular weakness, is taking its toll on his ability to walk.
“He has definitely progressed,” said Gabe’s father, Scott Griffin, “and he is walking less and less. I guess the good news is he’s still ambulatory to a degree.”
Due to the deteriorating state of his muscles, Gabe cannot get up from the ground on his own, frequently uses a scooter to move around and is unable to use the stairs in his home, according to his father. Now, his family is hoping to make their home more accessible for him.
The Griffin family started Hope 4 Gabe, a nonprofit to raise money for Duchenne research, in 2010. Eight years later, they continue that fight as well as new challenges.
“It’s really a struggle because when we formed this foundation and started this fight, I really thought we’d beat this thing, and now the reality has really kind of set in,” Griffin said.
As Gabe has lost mobility, Griffin said, they looked at the idea of selling their home for one that is more accessible to their son. Real estate agents kept pointing out updates that were needed, he said, and the fact that it was the only home their kids really knew set in.
“We decided that the disease has already taken so much from us, and it’s going to continue to take so much from us, that we decided it wasn’t going to take our house,” Griffin said. They decided to renovate for Gabe instead.
The Griffin family approached Scotch Homes, located in the Greystone area, about the renovations after meeting owner Wayne Scotch at an event. The renovations — including finishing their basement, installing an elevator, placing floors that can accommodate a wheelchair, widening doorways and building an ADA compliant bathroom — were going to be costly.
Wayne Scotch’s wife, Stefani Scotch, said after meeting the Griffins and hearing Gabe’s story, they wanted to help out.
“Wayne looked at me and said, ‘Let’s see if we can get as many [subcontractors] and vendors to get on board, and we won’t charge any cost on our part,’” Stephani Scotch said. “… Their story had touched us.”
The news that the work would be done at cost was overwhelming, Griffin said, but they knew it would still be an expensive project. From there, family friend Michael Staley said he felt pushed to step in.
Staley set up a Regions account, where people could stop by any Regions branch and donate to the Gabe Griffin charity account, and a PayPal account for donations. Their goal is to raise around $40,000 to help offset the Griffins’ cost of the renovations.
“I’ve been really moved over the years now by how much the Griffin family, through Gabe, has done to help other people,” said Staley, who first met the family in 2013. “Most of what their foundation has done has not benefitted Gabe.”
The donation funds, Staley said, are a way for the community to give back. The Griffins are well known in the Chelsea community and surrounding areas, Staley said, and he sees Gabe as an inspiration to those around him.
“I think it would be enormous if I, three months down the road, was able to say, ‘The community came together to donate,’” Staley said.
The community has already rallied around Hope 4 Gabe through sporting events, fundraisers, lemonade stands and other ways, Griffin said, and that has helped their family through their hardest days.
“We just want to thank the community for anything they’ve done in the past. I don’t know that Traci and I would be where we are today. Our perspective would probably different, in a negative way, if we didn’t have a place to pick us up when we are down,” Griffin said.
Anyone interested in donating can stop by a Regions bank branch and ask to donate to the Gabe Griffin Charity Fund, find @GabeRGriffin on Venmo or can go to paypal.me/gabegriffinproject. For more information Gabe’s story, go to hopeforgabe.org.
Editor's note: This article was updated on April 4, 2018 to change reflect that the Griffin's home is not located in Chelsea. The Griffin's children all attend Chelsea area schools, but their home is in unincorporated Shelby County.