Baby "First Responder Ari" needs our help

Ari Simon is the one-year-old daughter of our very own Domonique Evans, pt EMT/FF and Volunteer FF with Fredericksburg Fire/EMS and her Fiancé, Michael Simon, Deputy with Gillespie County Sheriff's Office. Ari has been sick for the past three months with what appeared to be back-to-back viruses. She just hasn't been getting better.

On Monday Dom was my partner on B shift and she received a text from Michael saying that Ari was covered in a rash, she showed me the picture and I told her to take her straight to Methodist Children's Hospital and not leave until they had some real answers.

The updates I received last night were devastating. Ari does have a virus, Adenovirus, nothing too concerning. The bigger problem is that they did a swallow study and Ari has been aspirating on all foods, no matter how she eats it.

She was one or two aspirations away from dying.

So she now has a team of doctors and specialists working with her: An ENT doc, a Pulmonologist and a Speech Therapist. Today she will be having an NG tube placed and is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday for a permanent tube to be placed directly into her tiny stomach. She will be in hospital for at least two more weeks.

This will place a HUGE financial burden on this little family. They both work shifts and now one of them has to be in San Antonio with Ari. To add insult to injury, the Daycare called Domonique today and told her that the stomach tube means that she will no longer be allowed to go to Daycare.

First Responders are family and we need to step up and help two of our own. Any donation will be greatly appreciated.

I thank all of you in advance and please keep Ari close to your hearts as she battles through this.