Family sells peaches for son’s therapy
Diana Tillman is tired of people telling her to give up on her child.
She’ll do whatever she can to give her son Jonathan, 14, the best quality of life she can. In recent years, that’s meant selling Palisade peaches to help cover the costs of therapy for Jonathan’s disabilities.
Since he was a baby, Jonathan has been plagued with seizures; chromosomal damage that resulted in a loss of balance, coordination and speech; and a variety of other health issues. Tillman said doctors told her and her husband, Bryan, that Jonathan would not move beyond the mental and physical capabilities of an 18-month-old.
“So many people come out of the woodwork to try to help me see ‘reality,’ ” Tillman said. “I find myself trying to convince people in logical terms that my son is worth it, that he deserves a chance.”
Jonathan and his twin, Matt, were born several weeks premature. Matt progressed with minimal health problems, but Jonathan was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, when he was just over 2 months old. He almost died and spent some time in a vegetative state before being diagnosed as “profoundly disabled.”
The family has since tried more than 40 therapies that have improved Jonathan’s condition — all of which have caused the family to pay “out the yin yang” for Jonathan’s care, Tillman said.
They reached a financial breaking point when Jonathan was 6 years old. Tillman and her husband decided to cease alternative therapies for Jonathan.
“We decided it was just my job to love him,” she said. “We just kind of gave up.”
A year later, Tillman said a miracle happened.
“Someone called me and said, ‘You and your son have been in my heart,’ ” she said. “They donated thousands of dollars of therapy to us.”
Donations started rolling in for Jonathan’s mobility, speech and other therapies. When the slew of donations slowed down a few years ago, the family began selling Colorado peaches to raise funds to continue Jonathan’s treatment.
The annual sale consistently raises around $3,000 a year, making treatments such as neurofeedback and a near infrared sauna possible. Profits doubled last year when First Fruits Organic Farms in Paonia donated a week of peach production to the family.
Tillman considers the fundraiser “small potatoes” compared with other fundraising efforts but said the sale always provides just enough for Jonathan’s needs.
“It always works out to be just right,” she said. “We’re not trying to become a big huge thing.”
People — including Jonathan’s former primary care physician — still try to tell Tillman to give up, she said. Her answer is always the same.
“I won’t ever give up on my son,” she said. “I love him. He is worth every minute I spend on him. Nothing is better than seeing his joy when he accomplished something he never thought he could.”
Sarah Jane Kyle is the Coloradoan reporter covering volunteerism, nonprofits and philanthropy. Follow her on Twitter @sarahjanekyle or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/reportersarahjane.
How to help
Buy Palisade peaches, Colorado apples, pears and tomatoes benefiting Jonathan Tillman at www.coloradopeach.com. Produce will be available for pickup Aug. 10, 17 and 24.