Nine and a half years ago, my wife and I made the decision to answer the call to foster a young boy. He came to us at 15 months, running and full of energy. A little after he turned three, we had the privilege of adopting him.

The past few years have been filled with love and joy, yes-- but also a lot of trauma, diagnoses, medication changes and many educational transitions for our kiddo.

It became obvious this year that traditional schooling was not going to be possible for him and that his nervous system needed a reset. It has also become more evident that I am his safe person with whom he feels the most securely attached.

This is why I have made the difficult decision to take FMLA leave from my full-time teaching job to homeschool my son and help him stabilize for the rest of the school year. My wife is transitioning to full-time work, and I am actively seeking part-time remote employment. In the meantime, we are facing a significant gap in our income. We are asking for help to cover two months of essential expenses—food, our mortgage, and gas so we can focus on Sebastian's recovery and well-being. Any support you can offer will make a meaningful difference for our family. Thank you for being our village.