Justin Gaethje Auctions Fight Kit From Ferguson Bout For Sick Cousin

Justin Gaethje To Auction His Fight Kit To Raise Money For Specialized Treatment For His Cousin

Justin Gaethje
Photos via Instagram @justin_gaethje

Over the course of his career, fans have recognized that Justin Gaethje is a real family man. Now he is looking to raise money to take care of his family, by auctioning off one of his fight kits.

Inside the Octagon, Gaethje virtually embodies the sentiment of violence, in almost every way imaginable. However outside of the cage, his personality is much different. The interim lightweight champion is a family man, who holds the upmost respect for his parents and their place in his life.

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Justin Gaethje Raises Money For His Cousin

The love Justin Gaethje has for his family translates beyond his parents. He recently showed that when he took to Instagram to ask for donations to help with specialized treatment for his adopted cousin, Jonathan. Not only that, but he is auctioning off all of his fight gear from his UFC 249 fight with Tony Ferguson, donating all of the proceeds to the fund.

“My cousin Jona needs our help,” Gaethje said. “In 2014 my Aunt’s family discovered him suffering extreme malnourishment and abuse after his mother passed away in Ghana, Africa. They started taking care of him when he was 14 months old because there was no one else there for him. They fell in love with Jona and couldn’t imagine life without him. So they adopted him when he was 2 years old. The trauma from his infancy caused severe psychological damage resulting in him developing and being diagnosed with Reactive attachment disorder (RAD), Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder(DMDD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), & cognitive issues, and along with that he also suffers from autism and ADHD.

“Our family has attempted to get him help from therapy and treatment programs after repeated outbursts with him threatening to hurt himself, being violent towards others & animals, breaking objects and having to call for emergency services to help calm him; however, he remains suffering from these disabilities after coming back home from the hospital,” Gaethje continued in the post. “After these outbursts, he acts as if everything is fine, and he cries and cries and he says he doesn’t know why he feels like this. And he wants to be happy. He just had his 8th birthday on June 17th, and we need to raise $144,000 (Specialized treatment for RAD costs $8,000 a month for 18 months) so that he can get the specialized treatment he really needs and deserves. Untreated RAD can lead to those diagnosed going to prison or on the streets and it causes higher suicide rates. Jonathan is such a bright light in our lives and to those who have gotten to know him, but these conditions cause him to act out of character in ways that are harmful to himself, his family, and his peers.

“We love Jonathan and really need your help to get him the treatment he needs so that he can be happy and not feel scared or stressed when someone shows him affection. So please consider donating. Anything helps. Jonathan deserves a chance before it’s too late. Thank you to all who foster or adopt children and show them unconditional love.”

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If you wish to donate to the GoFundMe set up by Justin Gaethje and his family, you can do so here. As for the auction, few details are known at this time about what to expect. However this seems like a great plan to help get Jonathan the care and treatment he needs.

Published on August 7, 2020 at 2:45 pm
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