Hunter’s Hope Foundation on Tuesday announced a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor that will be used to create an endowment at the Orchard Park organization.
The gift was given in honor of Katelynn Abner and will establish the Katelynn’s Butterfly Kisses Program, which will provide support for those with Metachromatic Leukodystrophy as well as focus on newborn screening and the Leukodystrophy Care Network. The program will give priority to military families affected by leukodystrophy.
Katelynn, who was born Oct. 31, 2008, to parents Chris and Kristal Abner, was about 6 months old when she starting showing irritability and neurological symptoms. She was seen by a neurologist and diagnosed in September 2010 with Metachromatic Leukodystrophy, quickly becoming dependent on a wheelchair and a feeding tube.
Katelynn died July 4, 2014. Hunter’s Hope made the announcement of the endowment on what would have been Katelynn’s 15th birthday.
The Abners live in Sallisaw, Okla.
“I’m in awe of the impact of a little girl,” Kristal Abner said in a statement. “She had her voice and words taken from her by a leukodystrophy but her amazing and graceful touch were felt in the hearts of some of the bravest people – Marines, Purple Heart recipients, athletes and all those around her. Katelynn’s impact and legacy will continue with this generous endowment by helping others with MLD, their siblings, and military families impacted by this disease.”
Chris Abner is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and he and his wife had their first child, Wyatt, in 2007 while Chris was on his fourth deployment. Katelynn was born about 15 months after Wyatt, who today helps lead efforts to “bring siblings together to share and comfort one another,” according to the Hunter’s Hope website.
The $1 million endowment is a significant gift for Hunter’s Hope, which brought in contributions and donations of nearly $950,000 in 2022 and had total assets…
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