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The Independence Fund

@independencefund

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The Independence Fund is dedicated to providing Independence to our Nation's Veterans, their families, and our wartime Allies.

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At 21 years old, you should be out enjoying the best years of your life. The age of freedom! For many of us, that meant serving. Some spent their 21st birthday partying in the barracks, while others spent it deployed downrange.

But Trevor, an active-duty Navy sailor and fireman stationed aboard the USS Constitution, is spending his 21st year battling stage four esophageal cancer.

Esophageal cancer is rare, accounting for about 1% of newly diagnosed cancers in the United States. The median age at diagnosis? 69 years old.

At 21, it’s exceptionally rare. Yet here he is.

A former powerlifter who’s deadlifted over 600 pounds. A nonsmoker. A healthy young man in his prime, facing a diagnosis no one saw coming.

Stage four cancer stopped Trevor and his family in their tracks. No known genetic predisposition. No family history. No clear explanation for why this happened to him.

The O’Neil family has tried everything they can to keep Trevor here on earth. Their search brought them to Envita Medical Center, where his treatment is being paid for entirely out of pocket. Trevor’s dad, Tim, has stepped away from his business in Massachusetts and put his home up for sale to help pay for his son’s care.

Scroll through the images.

We’ve been able to send just under $20,000 to Envita for Trevor’s treatment. But we need your help.

▶️ Our ask to you all reading this: Instead of buying Trevor a beer, buy him a shot at life.

Consider donating to fund Trevor’s week 18 and 19 treatments using the link in our bio 🍻

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October is here, which means Kappa Alpha Order is getting ready to host our annual PumpKAn Patch! 🎃

Join us on October 21st & 22nd at Library Lawn for one of FGCU’s oldest philanthropy traditions! Come out, purchase some pumpkins, and support a great cause. All proceeds will benefit the @independencefund, helping provide support and resources to our nation’s wounded veterans. 🇺🇸

Make sure to purchase your PumpKAn Patch shirts through the link in our bio so you can have yours in time for the event!

We look forward to seeing everyone out there! 🎃

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crown heavy but it’s worth the weight

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No big deal. Just got to cheer this guy on while he broke a WORLD RECORD at the Olympia.

#446 bench

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To the fine young men of @kappaalphanevada , from me and my family, thank you gentlemen for giving me my independence back. I wish you could know how much you all have changed my life for the better. You’ve given me my freedom back and given me back a part of my life I thought was gone forever. 🙏🏼🇺🇸. With that, thank you boys I pray you all do well in life and all your endeavors. I don’t have the words to thank you enough.

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NEW WORLD RECORD! 🌎

What a wild ride. If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be competing at the @iplpowerlifting Olympia and breaking a world record. I would’ve called you crazy.

This past year has been a crash course in powerlifting. I’ve learned so much, found my rhythm, and grown more comfortable competing outside of military competitions. I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come, and I’m still taking it all in.

I owe so much to my wife, @smithmachinette, for supporting me through these wild adventures. Thank you for holding down the fort while I’m away. I can’t wait to get home, get back to work, and keep pushing forward.

@uspapower Ultra Nats are next. #calstrong #ampedup #olympia #fitness #benchpress

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Yesterday the country honored Sean Michael Lee, age 50, who died on September 13, 2026, after a life defined by service, loyalty, courage, and a “send me” ethos.🇺🇸

Sean spent more than 20 years serving his country in the U.S. Army, including multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the storied 82nd Airborne Division. He was, to his core, a paratrooper. His service did not end when his military career did.

For more than a decade afterward, Sean continued serving veterans and his country, including through his work with @independencefund + @soaaorg and, most recently, at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he served as a political appointee under Secretary Doug Collins.

But no job title adequately describes what Sean did with his life.

When Afghanistan fell in 2021, Sean helped coordinate the safe passage and evacuation of thousands of Afghan allies and others desperately trying to escape the country.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Sean went toward the war. He helped establish field hospitals and participated in the extraordinary operation to evacuate gravely wounded Benjamin Hall from Ukraine.

When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, Sean slept in his car and worked in the disaster zone, helping deliver aid and assisting communities when roads, communications, and ordinary systems of support had collapsed.

Again and again, when circumstances were dangerous, chaotic, uncomfortable, or seemingly impossible, Sean went.

That was the pattern of his life.

Send me.

Sean spent his life answering the call.

His legacy knows no bounds. His absence will be immeasurable.🇺🇸

In Sean’s honor, please support @independencefund ❤️

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We’ve got the watch, Sean. 💔

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Solo loading the Action trackchair Axis 40 on the Action trackchair hitch carrier. #trackchair #veteran #independencefund #independent #stiffpersonsyndrome

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Huge thanks to @independencefund and @thetrackchair for giving me my independence back and for the opportunity to get back outside and off of the paved roads. 🇺🇸🙏🏼. #trackchair #independence #outdoors #stiffpersonsyndrome

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This Tuesday, September 22nd, we’re going to lay our friend Sean Lee to rest. Sean was a paratrooper and a leader, a warrior and a friend. Most importantly, he was a good man who was always there whenever anyone needed, well, anything.

Those of you who know our work with @independencefund and @sarahaverardo likely recognize the name and the man, because no matter what we did, he was there leading and supporting.

Sean was on a mission to make this country great and preserve our inheritance. His time on this earth begs the question stated in the film Gladiator: “Is Rome worth one good man’s life? We believed it once. Make us believe it again. He was a soldier of Rome. Honor him!”

Sean lived the kind of life that makes men believe America is worth the fight. So if you’re able and in the area, come out and honor this man who dedicated his life to the country and then to its veterans.

Invite a friend you haven’t seen in a while and come join us, even if it’s just temporarily, though I know if you experience it, you will never want to leave.

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#actiontrackchair#Axis40#abilities #offroad

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