Help Us Stay by Ezra’s Side

Our son Ezra was born prematurely on April 17th after a high-risk pregnancy caused by placental insufficiency. Just hours after birth, he was moved to the NICU at Niswonger Children’s Hospital for hypoglycemia—dangerously low blood sugar.

Weeks passed, and despite every test and consultation with specialists across the country, the cause remained a mystery—until we finally received a working diagnosis: congenital hyperinsulinism, a rare condition that causes his pancreas to produce too much insulin, keeping his blood sugar dangerously low.

There is a medication that might help—but it takes a full week to see results. Every dose change means another week in the hospital. And if the treatment doesn’t work, Ezra will need to be transferred to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where the world’s leading experts in this condition can guide his care.

In the meantime, my husband Eddy and I have been trading shifts—one of us staying with Ezra in the NICU, the other at home with our three older kids. If Ezra is transferred to CHOP, I’ll go with him while Eddy remains home to care for our family.

I’m currently on maternity leave, but it ends June 16th. While I’m eligible for unpaid leave through FMLA, I will have used all of my paid time off, medical leave, and short-term disability by then. Without financial help, I’ll be forced to return to work just as Ezra faces the most critical phase of his treatment.

This GoFundMe will allow me to stay by Ezra’s side—whether here or in Philadelphia—until he’s stable and safe at home. Your support will help keep our family together during the most fragile and uncertain time of his young life.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Mara, Eddy, Esme, Milo, Myka, and Ezra