Max' Safety and Well being

I'm swallowing my pride to write this, but really it is not about me. On August 1st, 2015 I had the honor of becoming Max' stepmom. He is an amazing kid and I love him with all my heart! I would do anything to keep him safe. Right now I am terrified for his safety. His biological mom has repeatedly put him in harms way and shown negligence towards his well being. She has been in and out of the mental hospital multiple times in the last several months, threatened to "slaughter her mother" in front of him, given him "rambo" knives to "protect" himself, neglected urgent and necessary medical care, and even spent a week in jail this last summer for stealing a gun (astonishingly this charge was dropped because the man she stole the gun from dropped the charges). These are just a few of our most recent concerns.

            I have dried this beautiful 8year olds tears at night when he couldn't sleep because he was afraid of her. We have held him close and promised to keep him safe. The judge has granted us a restraining order but we found out today that she has obtained an attorney and we will have to fight. Utah is a state that favors the mother regardless of their ability to care for the child. This woman has gotten away with more things than I could of ever imagined possible and I am scared. Our own attorney said they will have to drop us if we do not come up with $2,500. (by Wed 02/24/16)  to keep our account at the level they see fit. We have already taken out a loan to pay the initial cost and this amount is on top of what we have already paid. I don't know how much this process will cost but I know it will be substantially more. I have had severe health problems and was recently recommended by my Doctors to take a Medical leave. David lost his job just before our wedding and was recently hired back this month. We received his first pay check today and paid his entire check to our lawyer but it was only half of what we expected because the government took half of his paycheck to pay her alimony. David is an amazing father and loves his son. His  love and devotion he has always shown for Max is part of what made me fall in love with him.

          If anyone can help us to ensure his safety we would be forever grateful. Everything raised will go to the cost of our fight. We promise everyday to cherish his smile, his laugh as well as his 8 year old tantrums at having to do his math or spelling homework. Anything helps we also appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers.

         I know that she has a mental illness and I honestly hope she seeks extensive treatment to be a part of Max' life. So far she has shown no interest in doing so and his current safety and well being is at risk.
 

*If anyone has any other ideas on fundraising or needs a babysitter or anything I would be happy to work something out. Or if anyone has any questions before donating please let me know!