Maxim Charitable Foundation 2005 Recipient
Justyn Kubik
Maxim's 2005 Charitable Foundation's recipient, Justyn Kubik, was born with a rare muscle-wasting disease called arthrogryposis. Only one in 30,000 children is born with the disease; Justyn's condition, however, was particularly severe. He needed tubes to eat and breathe and required multiple surgeries. After months in the hospital, doctors advised his parents to place Justyn in a long-term care facility. Undaunted, the Kubiks brought Justyn home from the hospital and managed to raise him with their other two children.
Due to his disorder, Justyn has been confined to a wheelchair, and the layout of the Kubik's home made caring for Justyn difficult. Nurses had to carry Justyn up and down the stairs every time he needed to use the bathroom or get bathed. Renovating the house into a handicapped-accessible environment became a necessity to care for Justyn, but the medical expenses had already buried the family in a mountain of debt.
Maxim Chartable Foundation donated the necessary funds to pay for the renovation of the Kubiks' home, installing an elevator to make it more wheelchair accessible so that Justyn could live a more complete life.