Fundraiser Aims To Help Permanently Disabled Barnegat Dad

BARNEGAT, NJ — Permanently disabled and spending life in a wheelchair, Barnegat's Frank Horner is a role model encouraging everyone to keep on rolling. But a wound turned into an illness, and now the family is in need of help.

"When I met Frank, he was a person that I knew should find a way to speak to kids and adults across the world and show them what they can do if they stay positive," his wife Melissa wrote in a GoFundMe she launched in hopes to help her family in their difficult time. "He was active, got around better than I do, and had more energy and positivity than anyone I have met."

The fundraiser has already gotten more than $5,000 to help the family stay afloat.

Frank works full-time. He serves as assistant coach for his son Brayden's t-ball team. And he makes time every day to pitch with Brayden, who hopes to be the next Aaron Judge. A small wound he's had since January on an old scar has put that all in jeopardy.

Melissa took her husband to the ER, where it was recommended a wound vac be used to decrease air pressure, regenerate blood supply and help the wound heal faster.

"In two weeks his wound went from about 1cm, to over 5cm wide, 2cm deep, and over 5cm at the deepest of the tunneling hole over his sacrum, necrotic(dead) tissue, having chills, having no energy, and getting headaches," she said. He went to the ER again and was admitted for osteomyelitis of his sacrum - a severe bacterial infection that went to the bone.

This was right before the Fourth of July, so Brayden missed the fireworks, she said.

"Brayden missed his dad and his mom because I had to work and could not miss work that weekend because I cannot risk losing my job because working part-time already causes significant financial constraints but my hope is that when I graduate nursing school that it will all be worth it," Melissa said.

Frank has lost hours at work with dozens of doctors appointments, she said, and a surgery to immediately close the wound would mean he would be in bed for at least eight weeks.

On top of that, the family found out they would lose their homeowners insurance if they did not repair their roof in 90 days, which they can't currently afford.

"What I want for him is to be able to get back his life without worrying about losing his life from infection and not being able to watch his son grow up," Melissa said. "While we may be able to navigate family or friends' help when they can during the 8 weeks he needs to rest, we absolutely cannot navigate financially not having our main income."

Melissa said that while her husband would never ask anyone for anything and that he wasn't aware of the fundraiser, she would lose her pride to help him.

"If you can help, just know it is helping Frank be able to live his life and continue to further inspire me and others," she said.

You can find the fundraiser here.