Malcolm "Jack" Freedman

Malcolm Jacob "Jack" Freedman April 23, 1995 – October 5, 2021 Jack passed away peacefully at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia due to complications from Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a condition he faced with courage and dignity from the age of 6 months. Jack was a loving son to his mother, Anne Teare Freedman, and his father, Albert Freedman, both of West Chester, Pennsylvania. He is also survived by his sister, Cara Freedman, his maternal grandmother, Joan Teare, his paternal grandparents, Robert and Molly Freedman, and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Jack was predeceased by his paternal grandfather, Malcolm Teare. For many summers, Jack joyfully attended the Pennsylvania Vent Camp and made lifelong friends. With the compassionate support of Mrs. Salisbury and many other dedicated teachers, he graduated from Unionville High School. After high school, Jack took great pride in his work as a part-time employee of Westtown School. More recently, Jack served as a consultant to Numinous Games, supporting the design of an accessible video game for children affected by Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Jack enjoyed outings to Longwood Gardens, Westtown School, and many other places in the community. He enjoyed communicating with his 2,500 Facebook friends and playing video games using his special Eyegaze computer, watching his favorite movies each night before bed, organizing the schedules of his home care nurses, and remembering everyone's birthdays. We are grateful for every day of the 26 years we had with Jack - 25 more years than his doctors had predicted. Jack lived his life happily and with determination. He befriended everyone who crossed his path with his energetic spirit, affable personality, and positive attitude, and he made our family very proud. We are grateful for the love, compassion, and friendship shared with Jack by friends, family, and health care professionals. He was very fortunate to have so many people in his life who loved him so much, and he taught all of us so many important life lessons. We are grateful for the health care professionals at the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for their kindness and commitment to Jack over the past 26 years, and we will always be indebted to Jack's many beloved home care nurses who cared for him day and night. A celebration of Jack's life will be held on Jack's birthday, Saturday, April 23rd at 2:00pm in the Friends Meeting House at Westtown School, West Chester, PA . Directions: https://www.westtown.edu/directions (Use East Entrance for Meeting House parking; GPS address 1400 Johnny's Way, West Chester, PA 19382) For those who wish, contributions in Jack's memory can be made to Jack's extended families at CureSMA (www.curesma.org) and the Pennsylvania Vent Camp (www.paventcamp.org).