My dear friends, someone I care about needs our help.  I hope you take time to read this and help any way you can.  I met Shannon Primer through a support group for parents of children with autism when our girls were very young.  Shannon was there for our family during a most difficult time in our lives, when our daughter Tessa was very young and struggling.  Shannon was a guiding light for us in a time of darkness, and helped us heal our daughter with her knowledge of services, medical options and advocacy issues.  Shannon has not only assisted us, but countless other families of children with special needs as well.   Shannon gives much of her life to advocacy for children with special needs, traveling to meet with politicians, and making a positive impact for change.  She is an incredible woman who has enhanced the lives of so many children and families, and she is a person I feel honored to know.  And now, she needs our help.  Her husband Ed is in a dire state of health.  My hope is that we can come together to lift them up and help them through this.  

Ed has been in the hospital for 16 days.  He has congestive heart failure.  The doctors are saying he needs to have surgery urgently to stabilize his heart.  The doctors have said also that he cannot have surgery until he has dental work completed to prevent serious complications they'd expect to arise.  If he does not have this done quickly, it will stall his surgery and pose a risk to his life.   The dental portion is not covered by insurance.  As such, the estimate is very high, several thousand dollars.  At present, Ed is not eligible for a heart transplant, but if he is able to have surgery, it will open the door to that possibility for him and bring a very hopeful prognosis.  It will be a difficult path for them financially, because aside from the medical bills, he will miss three months of work in recovery.  Ed is a husband, a father, a coach and a schoolteacher.  He has a son with autism as well.  They need him to get well.   

Please donate if you can and share.  Any amount will help, especially if we all give a little.  We will be praying for your family Shannon, and we are here to help!

Donate at this link or send PayPal donation directly to [email redacted].

Kristy Leon