Firstly, I am overwhelmed by the love, prayers and support. So so many have asked how they can help with this little firecracker…I thought this the easiest way to facilitate the biggest need-childcare & travel!

Our family said “yes” to the placement of an amazing little girl on July 17th, just two days after she was born. We knew she’d have a bit of a hospital stay expecting discharge to be late August/Early September at the latest…so we thought!

This little warrior had so much more going on than anyone could ever imagine…she continues to just have the deck stacked against her with new dx that keep coming! BUT…again and again, despite the odds, she keeps showing us that she will persist and come out further than anyone could have anticipated!

She is well known at National in DC as the supreme diva, MASTER Houdini escape artist! And though still tiny, she is as strong as an ox and as feisty as the pixie she’s nicknamed after-Tinkerbell!

What I’d not anticipated is the months of childcare costs that allow me to go and be with her a few times a week-far less than any kiddo facing what she is should have someone by her side. No one under 13 is permitted in the unit so taking kiddos is not an option. I’m currently going up on Tuesdays & Thursdays so the bulk of the time is while the kids are in school. Additionally I try to get up there once on the weekend plus days she’s having procedures…that’s about 12-15 hours out of 168 a week she spends fighting in ICU.

Because it’s DC, travel time means on school days to spend 2-4 hours bedside I pay a sitter for about 4+ hours. On the weekend to spend 3-4 hours bedside I pay a sitter for 7-8+ hours. This amounts to at least $350/week in babysitting I’d not anticipated…plus all the other costs of managing a new kiddo who is hospitalized!

Foster care assistance is tricky because of difficult rules that state any kiddo not in your home for 14 nights can not be a placement in your home or really “officially” tied to you until they are consistently under your roof…meaning for now we just make the logistics work!

If you are looking for a way to help support Tink- prayers & more bedside hours & contact is the biggest need she has right now. Please continue to pray she gains strength, weight and healing. If you feel lead to help out with paying our amazing sitters and travel costs it will be well used. Thank you for any and all support, we’re hoping this little fighter will be home within the next 3 months or so!