First and foremost, we wanted to thank all who have come alongside us this last year to help encourage us, pray for us, bring us groceries, and support us financially. "Thank you" doesn't sufficiently cover the gratefulness we feel. There have been many times we were facing our power being turned off or wondering how we would get next week's groceries when the Lord has brought someone across our path just in time and answered our prayers. He has used each of you to bless us tremendously and carried us through. Just recently while at the food bank he brought a woman across my (Caitlin) path who helped us to get set up with EBT/food stamps to be able to buy the groceries we need.

We started this GoFundMe back in December asking for help to pay household and medical expenses as Nathan underwent physical therapy in attempts to repair the herniated disc in his low back (I left the original post attached below for any who would like to know all the details). The original treatment plan was for three months with the hopes that by the end he would be able to go back to work. After the first 8 weeks they ordered an MRI to assess the progress and found that the disc was more damaged than we realized. The results showed that while the treatment was helping, the progress was significantly slower than any of us expected. Because they saw minor improvement, his Doctor decided not to recommend surgery and instead alter the treatment plan by adding cortisol shots, stem cell therapy injections, and extending his treatment plan. Since the plan alterations we have seen some increased mobility in Nathan's back. When therapy began he couldn't leave the house long enough to join me on a trip to the grocery store. Now, he is able to make small outings and even sit with us at the park while the kids play. Progress has been slow and can be hard to measure since the pain hasn't really decreased but we are so thankful for the improvements we have seen. As of now we don't know when he will be able to go back to work or if he will ever be able to go back to painting. DSHS made us aware of a program they offer to help those who can no longer work in their field to get training for a new field of work. We don't know yet how long it will take but the hope is that by the end, he will have new skills to be able to find some kind of office work.

We have tried to find alternatives to asking for assistance but have finally reached the point again that we have no other options as we have no way of making rent for the next few months. A few months ago I lost my nanny job and haven't found a replacement and am due to have our third child in just three short weeks.

Thank you so much for praying for us! Would you please continue to keep us in your prayers as we try to navigate this rollercoaster? If you feel led to contribute financially and would like to help, we would be so thankful for all the help we can get. If you prefer not to use the GoFundMe platform and instead like using direct platforms such as Venmo you can reach us by using @Caitlin-Edwards-11

May the Lord bless each of you and keep you in his care.

-The MacDuff family

For those of you who know our family, you know that we are not ones to ask for help unless we have no other options. Poor health in this last year has pushed us to a level of desperation and helplessness we have never known.

Nathan and I (Caitlin) have been married four years. God has blessed us with two beautiful children, Bennett (2.5yr) and Hermione (1.5yr), with another due in June 2023. Nathan and I started our own house painting business in November 2021. He is the sole provider for our family while I manage the home and care for the children.

In January 2022 Nathan came down with a bad case of Diverticulitis that required 3 weeks of the strongest antibiotics his Dr. could give him and it destroyed his immune system. A simple head cold after that would have him in bed for weeks and barely able to get around the house. With him so weak and sick every 2-3 weeks, I started going to work in his stead and painting. By spring, he was finally beginning to improve when he caught a head cold that settled in his chest and turned into a nasty case of pneumonia requiring more antibiotics. Poor health and the stress of not being able to work raised his blood pressure dangerously high. His Dr. put him on a BP medication which he ended up being allergic to and the reaction induced a heart attack. He was finally well enough to work again by early July. On his way to a job, he stopped at the store to pick up the paint and herniated a disk in his back trying to lift the 5 gallon paint bucket. He couldn't walk or move. The very kind medics who picked him up offered to take him to his Dr.'s office and drive his trucks over as well. He was given steroids and a cortisone shot to loosen him up enough to drive home. He spent the next several weeks getting regular chiropractic care and cortisone shots, which helped him at least move from our bedroom to the living room but completely depleted what was left of our finances. The end of his suffering seemed to finally be in sight when he re-slipped that disk putting his pants on one morning. He has been at home ever since. He can't work, he can't lift the children, get down low enough to change diapers, and he is only pain free when he sits in his office chair. He is in too much pain to sleep more than a few short hours a night and only after exhaustion has taken over.

God blessed me with a nanny job 2 days a week that I'm able to take my kids along with me. I make enough for gas and groceries and not much else. We haven't been able to pay our bills for months. By God's grace, we got a housing grant through the community after his pneumonia, which prevented us from losing our apartment. When that grant ended last month, our church was able to pay our Dec. rent and help with gas and groceries. We were given an anonymous financial gift at that time as well that paid our overdue car payment, keeping it from being repossessed. Things seemed to be looking up, but that week, the transmission in our work truck went out and we will have to fix it before we can go back to work. We are stuck in the corner of not being able to work without the truck and not being able to fix the truck because we have no work. As they say, when it rains, it pours.

God has been faithful time and time again to provide for us at the last moment. He brought someone to our door a few weeks ago who offered to pay to have Nathan seen by their chiropractor/physical therapist. After two rounds of x-rays it was confirmed that the injured disk in his low back is on a path of deterioration and, if not corrected immediately, would have no other option but surgery. Family and friends pulled together and raised the money needed to pay for his treatment, which is a three-month process. We are praying it works. If all goes well, by the end of the 3 months, he should be able to work again.

We are asking for financial help to provide for basic needs, household bills, truck repair, and possible continued treatment for Nathan's back.

Please partner with us in prayer. If you feel led to contribute financially, we appreciate all the help we can get.

God has been so faithful to us and we will continue to trust him to provide according to his will.

God bless you,

The MacDuff family

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."