BOCA RATON, Fla. — There's a new playground coming to Boca Raton that will help a young boy fighting for his life.
At Pirates Cove, imagination takes over the playground, while reality sinks in for others like Jordan Ogman.
Jordan is a fun-loving, 7-year-old miracle who was diagnosed with a rare, fatal genetic brain disorder when he was 3 years old called TECPR2.
There is no cure or treatment. Jordan was told he had only had months to live.
"I went numb," Stacey Ogman, Jordan's mother said. "I cried for days. We live with anticipatory grief. The diagnosis day is literally the most heart-shattering day of our lives. I mean never in a million years did I think it was going to be a fatal diagnosis."
Now, four years later, Jordan is still fighting for his life. He goes to different therapies every day.
"It's awful," Stacey said. "It's awful because I would switch places with him in two seconds if I could.
Jordan's father, David Ogman, said after his son's diagnosis, they traveled across the country meeting with dozens of different doctors. Years of traveling also meant visiting dozens of playgrounds. But David said there is no playground near Boca Raton that was accessible to children like Jordan.
"Nothing is easy," Stacey said. "We have to figure out how to adapt literally on the spur of the moment so that we can make things accessible to him. It is very, very hard."
The difficulty sparked an idea. David spoke at a Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District meeting in January. With a unanimous vote, Pirates Cove at Patch Reef Park will be redesigned to make it more accessible for children with special needs.
This includes making the playground with a rubber bottom surface, a fence around it, accessible swings and low structures.
Construction is set to begin by the end of the summer, making sure Jordan's dream becomes a reality.
"He's our guide," Stacey said. "He wakes up every single day, pushing and working hard and we owe it to him to do the same. We have to be relentless in the pursuit of saving his life. We literally owe it to him."
