Brett Daglio and Family

Hi, my name is Kim and I am fundraising for Brett Daglio and his amazing family. We have taught together for the past twenty-one years. He is a husband, father, son, brother, friend, teacher, Wildcat fan, United States Navy veteran and hero. Have you ever lost hope, Brett Daglio has and is mentally, physically and financially exhausted. Here’s his story:

Once upon a time there was a wonderful family who was happy, healthy, hard working and living an ordinary life. One day the family was shocked with some startling news. The love of his life, Julie, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. It’s been 16 years since her initial, and life-changing diagnosis. Through her fighting spirit and dedication, she continues to work to this day. Julie is very proud of her 20+years of service to Pima Community College. An institution that holds great meaning in the heart’s of her family. However, there is now some uncertainty as to how much longer she can continue. With the support of their two magnificent children, extended family and husband, they continue to support Julie as her MS continues to rear it’s ugly head. 

Why do we need hope? In late 2019, the family was faced with more devastating news. The hero of the family, Brett, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Once again, with the support of his wife, children and extended family, Brett has fought this debilitating disease the past five years. He refuses to let this disease slow him down, define him, or prevent him from supporting his family. He is proud of his 21 years of service at Keeling Elementary School. Brett continues to work as a math interventionist, but similar to Julie’s situation, how much longer he can do so, remains unknown.

When you are diagnosed with such debilitating diseases, your perception of time changes. How do we take action when we are hopeless? Their two children are trying to process and cope with both of their parent’s illnesses. This is HARD for any child. They have already been through more than most children. As if this wasn’t enough, their daughter Mackenzie, who graduates from high school in the coming weeks, recently fell. This fall resulted in a fractured elbow and dislocated kneecap. The family spent countless hours seeking solutions and treatment methods to her health problems, but to no avail. She personally, as well as her family , became overwhelmed with emotion and began to realize this would be another massive challenge in their lives. Another mountain to overcome per say. This devastating moment led to a series of unfathomable events. Brett, Julie, and their entire family were now living every family’s worst nightmare. This event has forced the family to do quite a bit of soul searching, in search of solutions to the many challenges that are in front of them. They are now seeking time to heal and recover via professional family therapy.

Do you carry hope? Words cannot describe how blessed everyone feels that this family will be given chance. They are starting to learn ways to cope effectively with their pain. Brett, Julie and their extended family are doing their best to give their family everything to live life to the fullest. They feel the need, as any parents facing a similar situation would, to experience as much as they can together. We all know that our time on this earth together is short, but given these circumstances, theirs is even shorter. 

On top of all of the extraordinary daily stressors this family is faced with, there is now an increasing fear of what is beginning to feel like an endless influx of medical bills. While Brett, teacher, and Julie, program manager, have always provided for their family, an incident like this is pushing them closer to their financial breaking point. They also face, the cost of college for both children. Brandon would like to attend a trade school and Mackenzie, the University of Arizona. This doesn’t even take into account the rising costs of seemingly everything world-wide. Naturally, these financial stressors, have caused Brett to feel even more desperate and hopeless. 

Hope helps you understand and believe on days when all we want to do is to quit. Quitting is not an option for Brett and his family. He came to me knowing that while his time on earth, and ultimately with his family, might be shorter than most, he is in need of some assistance and some hope. Let’s help this family raise their spirits, spend some desperately needed time together, decrease the stressors they are faced with, and offer them some desperately needed support. Thru your generosity, we can help this family live their lives, “happily ever after”. Let’s BEAR DOWN and give them some hope!