Hi,

My name is Rebecca Sumner.

A little over a year ago, my oldest child, Liv, died of a neurodegenerative disease. This disease was cruel. It took her speech. Her mobility. Even her ability to use an iPad to talk. It gave her understandable and debilitating anxiety.

When we tried to get her help for her anxiety, again and again, we ran into the problem of no available counselors we could afford who understood disability and a life-limiting diagnosis affect a child's psyche and the therapeutic relationship.

She lived a wildly good life, if far too short. But it could have been better, easier, fuller.

I want to change this story for other kids.

And, a little over six years ago, my oldest received a diagnosis for neurodegenerative disease that I was told would likely leave our family near poverty, would consume my life, and take me to my own breaking point caring for her physical needs while trying to metabolize the trauma of watching my daughter suffer.

She and I lived a wildly good life together, if far too short. But it could have been so much better. I could have been a better mom. I could have been more centered. I could have taken more deep breaths and had more self care and supports so that I could inhale deeply and exhale abundant love rather than a tattered soul on an endless treadmill of medical procedures, G-Tube feeds, therapies, tears, advocacy, tears, medication management, tears, and tears.

I want to change this for other parents.

So, I am going back to school for counseling and parent coaching.

And to keep these services free or close to free so that families impacted by severe diagnoses don't have money or insurance for mental health to worry about on top of all the other things, I am hoping to walk away from this educational journey without student debt.

My counseling education will run about $50,000 or $5,000 a quarter.

My parenting education will run about $5,000.

I have matching funds for up to $10,000 and tuition for both is coming due soon (about $10,000). So I'm hoping to raise the $5,000 matching in the next two weeks...there will be more fundraising in the future. Stay tuned.