Hello, for those of you that don't know me, I'm Michael Archibeque, better known as Grandpa. It is with humble hearts that we come to you today and invite you a little further into the life and journey of our grandson, Benny. Benny is our special gift from God and truly one of our family's greatest treasures. We love all of our children and grandchildren beyond measure, but there is something incredibly special about Benny. He has a way of bringing all of us together. He is precious, deeply loved, and has taught our family more about faith, perseverance, joy, and unconditional love than we ever could have imagined.

Over the years, we have shared small glimpses into Benny’s journey. Opening the door wider and sharing the struggles behind the scenes is not easy for us. We are a proud family. We believe deeply in working hard, taking care of one another, and trusting God through every season. But we have also reached a point where we realize we may not be able to do this entirely on our own. Benny has and will require an incredible amount of specialized care, equipment, food and time.

Ben does not sit, crawl, walk, talk, self feed and is extremely limited on the foods he does eat. Insurance does cover the specialized formula but none of the food. Chelse is determined to not get a feeding tube. We encourage him to be as independent as possible.

His journey began at birth when we learned he was deaf along with a few other abnormalities. The first year it seemed each month brought about new problems. While the list of his diagnoses has grown, there has never been a clear answer on what truly is wrong. Our family has traveled to many states with referrals to large organizations. Second opinions and more testing. While we are able to treat several of the symptoms, we do not know the outcome nor what the future holds. Ben has brought us doctors, specialists, therapists, appointments, treatments, equipment, and resources into his life. Benny has an amazing team surrounding him, and we are incredibly grateful for the care they provide. Unfortunately, that care also comes with significant costs.

Chelse and Joel have done everything they can to provide for Benny and their family. They have stretched their finances, taken loans against retirement and investments, searched constantly for grants and discounts and programs and made countless sacrifices along the way. Our family has also stepped in wherever we can—with finances, transportation, appointments, childcare, and simply being there when another set of hands is needed. Unfortunately, none of the gas for all these trips, appointments or therapies is reimbursable.

One of the most difficult realities is that the system designed to provide Benny with necessary resources also limits how much Chelse can earn without putting those resources at risk. Working more can actually mean losing significantly more in benefits and services than the additional income she brings home. At the same time, Benny has so many appointments and therapies that a parent often needs to be available to accompany him, advocate for him, and make medical decisions.

The past couple of years have brought even more challenges. Chelse has faced medical issues of her own, including surgeries and physical therapy, requiring our family to rally around them even more. At several points, Uncle Ben came all the way from Oregon, and stayed for weeks to help following Chelse’s surgeries so that Joel could continue to work two jobs. That is simply what our family does—we show up for one another. And we will continue to show up.

But right now, we are asking our extended family, friends, and community to show up with us.

It has taken me hours of conversations and a lot of convincing for Chelse to allow us to share this part of their story. Asking for help does not come naturally to our family. But perhaps part of this journey is realizing that allowing others to help is also an act of faith.

Our goal is simple: to help relieve some of the financial pressure surrounding Benny’s care and give Chelse and Joel a little breathing room for the next surgery, therapy, medical needs, or unexpected expense. There will be more appointments. There will be more therapies. There will be more challenges. But we also know there will be more milestones, more victories, and plenty more reasons to celebrate this incredible little boy. We see him progressing and praise every

If you are willing and able to contribute, we would be deeply grateful. Every gift, no matter the amount, helps us continue giving Benny the support and opportunities he needs while helping his family remain financially afloat.

If giving financially isn't possible, your prayers, encouragement, and sharing Benny’s story mean just as much to us.

From the day we learned Benny was going to be different, through every diagnosis and every new challenge, our family has stood together. We have watched God work through Benny and through the people who love him. Maybe this is simply the next step—opening our circle a little wider and allowing others to become part of Team Benny.

Thank you for loving our family. Thank you for loving Chelse, Joel, and their family. And most of all, thank you for taking a moment to get to know the treasure that is Benny.

Thank you for loving our family and for being part of Team Benny.

#TeamBenny

#BennysJourney