Jonah Allgeier threw the first pitch for the SeaWolves Friday night game. 

Back in Nov. of 2022, he was diagnosed with a rare heart disease. The same one his mom had. 

Then in Nov. of 2023, he went into cardiac arrest. On Easter Sunday of this year, he received a heart transplant. He’s had a long road. 

“The Erie community has just stepped up, just like they did for my daughter, who needed a heart transplant. That has taken so much burden away from us,” Jonah’s grandfather Mark Furhman said. 

Jonah’s family owns Little’s Dance Studio, and the dancers took the field with performances before the game. The money from SeaWolves tickets bought through Little’s went to COTA for Jonah’s Journey to help with transplant-related costs. 

"This is a big night. I mean our dance studio, Little’s Dance Studio, is sponsoring the firework show. We performed before the game, and we'll be performing right before the fireworks as well. The SeaWolves just came alongside this effort to really be a tremendous fundraising effort for Jonah," Furhman said.

Jonah's grandfather Mark Furhman sang the national anthem. Furhman had a lot of pride seeing that first pitch.

"Jonah was a little bit nervous, and I told him ‘Jonah, if you threw a gum ball and rolled it on the ground, people would still clap. So, don't worry.’ He was really excited. He did a great job. He really did,” Furhman said. 

Furhman said though Jonah received a transplant, community support is still needed. 

"The need doesn't go away. He's already had three heart catheterizations in three months. So think of the expense of that and the ongoing medication. It's real and it's ongoing. "

Furhman also said to see the community turn up for Jonah, means so much. 

"Every opportunity to thank the Erie Community for their generous, generous support and their love for our family,” Furhman said.

To Donate and hear more on Jonah’s Journey you can click the link attached here: https://cota.org/cotaforjonahsjourney/our-story/