I try my best not to get into my personal life online because you don’t want people to see the ugly side of your life, the side that keeps you up crying at night. I don’t like asking for help because I don’t want pity from people, so this is taking a lot of courage to even do. I’m almost to the end of all my options, and I need a little help.

My second child, Emory, has been dealing with a number of health issues. A lot of it, I think, started from my pregnancy. I had fetal growth restriction during my pregnancy, and at one of the appointments with the high-risk doctor, he wasn’t moving properly. That day, they had to take him; he was born 3 weeks early via C-section. At 3 months, he was diagnosed with acid reflux, and we thought by the time he turned 6 months, he would grow out of it, but he unfortunately didn’t, and it only got worse. Last month, I took him to do a swallow study because he was still spitting up and having trouble swallowing his formula during his feedings. During the X-ray, we found out he has a hiatal hernia that is causing severe reflux and a handful of other issues. He’s starting to fall behind on motor skills because he doesn’t feel comfortable doing anything because of the hernia, and he’s developed plagiocephaly (severe flattening of the head). Doctors have recommended us to see a gastroenterologist for the hernia (& if they recommend to have it removed that’s another thousands of dollars we don’t have) and also get him a helmet to help mold his head back into a proper shape. They have also recommended seeing an occupational therapist to help aid him in getting caught up in skills. Me and my husband are trying our best to keep up with the medical bills, but it’s so hard having to take off work for appointments. We don’t get any government assistance and literally work ourselves to death, and insurance doesn’t even begin to cover half of our bills. We also have another child to think about. We just need a little help to catch back up so we don’t fall totally under.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading our story. Anything helps! If you’re unable to donate, a share goes a long way too!