Grand Forks Community Hits the Gym for Show of Support for Long-Time Member

CrossFit Tundra in Grand Forks Held a Fundraiser to Help Jacob Freeman After Surgery

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Community members in Grand Forks hit the gym for a reason other than working out.

“Kind of out of nowhere, I was working out one day and my hand started losing color,” said Jacob Freeman, a long-time member of the CrossFit Tundra Gym in the city. “I stopped and then the color would come back after 10-15 minutes and it was progressively getting worse.”

Freeman works as a diesel mechanic in Grand Forks.

After a recent workout, his hand felt numb, so he had a doctor check it out.

“That afternoon, they called me back to his office and he told me that I had blood clots in my forearm,” said Freeman. “I was going to need surgery to get rid of those blood clots.”

Freeman later discovered he had Patent Foramen Ovale, which is a hole in the heart.

He has not been able to work since the surgery.

As a CrossFit member, the owners of the gym decided to raise money for him.

“Jake’s been a member of ours for over five years and we know him really well,” said CrossFit Tundra owner Chad Spradlin. “We know his family really well and when we heard about some of these things that were happening. We decided ‘hey, we can come as a community and pitch in and help out’.”

The gym has been open to anyone in the community all day long.

People could give donations and participate in a workout named after Freeman.

“I actually cried when I found out that they wanted to do this stuff because I hadn’t even thought about it,” said Freeman. “That was a huge concern of how I was going to pay for everything so it was pretty awesome.”

Members say CrossFit is more than just a gym.

“CrossFit is pretty much a family,” said member Theresa Lamppa. “It’s our second family. We love each other and we have fun working out together.”

Although Freeman may have some bumpy roads ahead, he can count on his community for support.