Welcome!

Hello! My name is Nicole Vannarath and I am raising money for my son Finley's cerebral palsy treatments and equipment. Every donation will contribute to achieving the best life possible for my little man. No amount is too little.

Who is Finley?

Finley was born 3.5 months early, weighing just 2 lbs, 3 oz. He spent the first 6 months of his life in the NICU where he received life-saving medication. He was on a ventilator for most of it and later graduated to big boy oxygen before he finally came home. Finley had it pretty rough in the beginning, but he has been SO strong. Finley is now 2 years old! He is a very happy boy despite all of the obstacles he's facing. He cannot speak, crawl, roll, sit up unassisted, or hold things very well. He has a g-tube in his belly, which is how he receives all of his food, hydration, and medication. The money I'm raising could change all of this for him.

The Diagnosis

I learned of Finn's Cerebral Palsy diagnosis while he was still in the NICU. Before then, I didn't know much about cerebral palsy. For those of you who don't know, Cerebral Palsy is an umbrella term used to classify disorders related to brain damage with associated impaired muscle coordination. Finley was later given the full diagnosis of Spastic Quadriplegia. This type of Cerebral Palsy is the most severe form, affecting all four extremities. It has been difficult for me trying to comprehend what this diagnosis will mean for Finley's future. Cerebral Palsy is a non-curable disease; there is no end date to his treatment. He is currently receiving multiple cerebral palsy interventions.

• Weekly Occupational Therapy
• Weekly Physical Therapy
• Weekly Developmental Therapy
• Bi-Weekly Speech Therapy
• Quarterly Trips to the Cerebral Palsy Clinic in Saint Louis, MO

ASKING FOR HELP

All I want is to be able to support Finley in achieving his highest quality of life. I am a single mom of 3 kids and cannot afford everything he needs on my own. I am asking for help paying for special equipment that insurance will not cover and money for intensive therapy sessions at the NAPA Center in Chicago. Here is a breakdown of things I would love to be able to do for Finley.

• 3-week Intensive therapy sessions $7,000-$8,000 each. He could use as many of these as I could give him. For all areas: Feeding Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Developmental Therapy. I have heard from other Cerebral Palsy parents that these sessions work wonders compared to the traditional therapy.

Firefly GoTo Seat $825.00. This is a seat that will provide Finley with participation in everyday life. It will allow him to sit in a restaurant, swing in a swing, sit outside on the ground for picnics, sit in a shopping cart, ride on toys, sit in wagons, and so much more.
I am also looking to get him a wheelchair for school next year so he can be at the same level as his peers. Insurance will only cover one wheeled device every 5 years.

THANKS!

I want to thank everyone who took the time out of their day to stop by and read all of this. If you cannot donate, that is perfectly fine, but please give this a share to your friends and family as I do not have many people to share this for me. Thank you!