
Ellie’s Entourage
Donation protected
Update 4/1/24
Ellie and family need our support.
Our medical team tried to work their magic, but Ellie just simply wasn’t ready. They had to re-intubate her. We just have to give her body, lungs, and mind more trials before we try again. That was today in short. We are down, but not defeated. Thank you for all the well wishes. ❤️ #ElliesEntourage
Update for 3/30/24
Ellie is slowly improving. She has been awake, alert, and playful. The medical team is progressing toward getting her breathing tube removed but for now she is still on life support.
Dad’s paycheck has been garnished for his days off with that being the sole income for the family.
They are going on 4 weeks and mom and dad have both been staying at the hospital every night. They are unfortunately not near discharge anytime soon. Thank you for your continued generosity and support to help them through this difficult time!
Hi, this is Kelly and Keri. We are trying to help Keri’s next door neighbors that are going through a very difficult time. Sweet Ellie brings a smile to all, but she and mom and dad need your help!
On October 14, 2021, Elizabeth “Ellie” Francis was born to Amanda and EJ Francis after five years of fertility treatments and miscarriages. It was such a joyous occasion, but with the joy came many difficulties and heartache, as Ellie was born with Chiari II malformation with Spina Bifida. During her first year of life, she was in and out of the ICU. Due to constant care, therapy and hospital stays, Amanda had to leave her job as a teacher. EJ, also a teacher and coach, continued working, but had to take quite a bit of time off to help with the adjustments of raising a child with a disability.
Ellie’s home quickly transformed with medical equipment including oxygen tanks, feeding pump, respiratory and orthopedic equipment. Just getting Ellie in the car for her regular doctor and therapy appointments took at least two people. The Francis family adjusted as best they could and endured several emergency visits to the hospital via ambulance. Although it is difficult, they are a happy family of 3 (4 including their fur baby, Riley) and continue to do as much for Ellie as possible to give her a happy life.
Fast forward to March 2, 2024 Ellie was admitted to the Pediatric ICU with a high fever and respiratory distress. She was diagnosed with metapneumovirus (similar to RSV). Over the next few days Ellie’s lungs developed pneumonia, and she had to be placed into a medically induced coma on life support.
Amanda and EJ have stayed by Ellie’s side taking it one day at a time. It has truly been a roller coaster for all three of them. Since they have no idea what each day holds, EJ had to make the very difficult decision to take indefinite leave from his teaching job. This allows him to spend all of his time by his daughter’s side as she fights to recover. She is expected to be in the ICU for several months.
We are setting up this GoFund me page so that we can help EJ and Amanda with some living, medical, and household expenses while they are living in the hospital with Ellie. Nobody can say how long it will take Ellie to recover from this and she will most certainly suffer major setbacks. She had made so much progress gaining strength, communicating her needs, and even winking to say hello, but they will most likely have a long road of rehabilitation to get her back to where she was.
Any help you can give the Francis family would be greatly appreciated. We all pray our little Ellie continues to make progress in her recovery.
Fundraising team (3)
Kelly Luscre
Organizer
Cumming, GA
Amanda Francis
Beneficiary
Edward Francis
Team member