For Dave and Chelsea Mengyan of Independence Township, their wedding was an opportunity to help a friend.
“We’re both around 40 years old. We have everything we need,” Dave said. “Gifts are to help a couple start their life together. We don’t need anything. So we thought, let’s get everybody together and do something positive for someone else.”
They asked guests to make a donation to Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) in honor of family friend Jack DeWitt, 14, who has the progressive, debilitating neuromuscular disease.
“Jack is bright, funny, and really generous,” Dave said. “Jack and his family have been raising donations and awareness for FA and they inspired us to do the same.”
“He’s really positive,” Chelsea said. “A friend ran a marathon to help. The wedding is our marathon.”
DeWitt is the son of friends from Alma College, Lee and Ruth (Acton) DeWitt. Ruth is also the daughter of John and Paula Acton of Clarkston ? John Acton was Dave’s middle school principal.
Dave, a website builder based in Royal Oak, and Chelsea, an artist, met seven years ago. When planning their wedding, they thought about either a small ceremony or something much bigger.
“We both have big families, so it was either elope or invite everyone,” Chelsea said.
After deciding to focus gift giving on FARA, they went big. About 250 people from both families attended the Sept. 13 wedding.
“We raised a lot of money, we’re really happy,” Dave said.
The website is still up, with a goal of raising $20,000.
“We’re getting there,” said Dave, who has used a wheelchair ever since an accident 24 years ago. He plays and coaches wheelchair rugby, and works to spread the sport around the world, including countries in South America, Europe, and Asia.
FA affects coordination and balance and eventually leads to a life altering loss of mobility, speech dysfunction and hearing loss; challenging the ability of children and adults to live an active life. It also presents serious risk of diabetes and life shortening cardiac disease. Although considered a rare disease, a significant number of children and adults suffer with the disease. There is currently no treatment or cure for it.
“It’s not well known,” Chelsea said. “Bringing awareness to it is important. It’s an awful disease.”
To make a donation, go to https://curefa.thankyou4caring.org/davechelseawedding