Thu, March 28, 2024

Local business\political leader and family work hard for special needs son

There’s an old saying about business savvy people—they can take lemons and make lemonade. Apparently, the same can be said for their children.

Sean Frantom is an experienced fundraiser who worked for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta for seven years, but he’s currently raising funds for a much more personal cause.

Sean – manager of sales and community engagement at Topgolf Augusta and Augusta commissioner for District 7 – is raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on behalf of his 2-year-old son, William, who battles the disease.

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He and his wife, Jennifer – development director for SafeHomes of Augusta – have established the William’s Warriors team on the foundation’s Great Strides website. “We’ve raised over $2,000 total” on the site, says Sean. He explains the couple’s five-year-old son, Charles, wanted to get involved and is a chip off the old blocks.

He set up Charles’s Lemonade Stand on Saturday, July 31 at the Brynwood Swim Club on Chelsea Drive in Augusta and raised an additional $566 in just three hours, which brings their current total raised to more than $2,600. “We’ve talked about possibly doing other lemonade stands” in other parts of Augusta, he states.

The Frantoms will participate in the Great Strides CF Walk on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Riverview Park in North Augusta. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 9:30 a.m. He says in addition to participating in the annual walk, the family will hold various fundraisers each year. “I’ve raised money all my life for different things,” Sean states.

Sean and Jennifer Frantom have two sons: Charles, 5, and William, 3. The family is currently raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor of William, who battles the disease.

William’s mother, Jennifer, explains he was diagnosed with the disease when he was only 10 days old and receives treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. “His care team includes a pulmonologist, gastroenterologist, respiratory therapist, and dietitian,” says Jennifer. “There is also a pharmacist, social worker, and psychologist on the team as well.”

William has pancreatic insufficiency, which means his pancreas doesn’t produce enough digestive enzymes, so he takes enzymes every time he eats. She says even with the enzymes, his body doesn’t absorb nutrients properly, and he frequently deals with intestinal inflammation. Because of this malabsorption, “He needs more calories than an average child his age,” Jennifer states. William receives treatments twice a day to get rid of mucus in his lungs and help him breathe better. She says keeping him healthy is their top priority, so they strive to avoid germs as much as possible because he’s more prone to contracting infectious diseases. “Normal colds and viruses take a bigger toll on him than the average person,” Jennifer adds.

Frantom says most of the donations have come from individuals, but if you or your business would like to donate, visit http://fightcf.cff.org/goto/williamswarriors2021.

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