By all accounts, the 10th annual Home Run Derby to benefit Jacob Kirchner and his family was, well, a grand slam as generous donors overwhelmed the Belle Plaine family with financial support, a wheelchair-accessible minivan, financial support and a sense that people they don’t even know genuinely care when a child and his family are in need.
Saturday, June 27, hundreds of spectators and some of the area’s biggest sluggers were in Union Hill’s Don Giesen Field for the benefit slugfest. Jacob Kirchner, the son of Jessica and John Kirchner, suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic disorder in which his body does not produce dystrophin, a protein essential for stable and maintained muscles. Starting with his hips, his muscles, including his heart, will continue to break down to the point of ineffectiveness. He receives weekly dystrophin infusions to slow the disease’s progress. Insurance covers much, but not all, of the cost of the infusions, Jessica Kirchner said. Proceeds from the event will help the family with expenses related to treatment and also activities for the Kirchners to enjoy as long as Jacob is able to enjoy them.
Early Saturday evening, the Kirchners were...
To see more on this story pick up the July 2, 2026 print edition of The New Prague Times.