Here's a summary of Josie's story. My Daughter Josie was born in January of 2018. September 11th, 2018 was her first (as the doctors call it) episode. After months of bloodwork and medical testing, we still haven't found an answer to her episodes. Her episodes used to occur every other month, and up until recently, have become more frequent. On a morning of an episode, her body will be limp, completely motionless for hours at a time. The fear of not knowing what is going on with my little girl is traumatizing. I am a great mother, but I want to be the best mother. I cannot be that, unless I have answers. I am doing what I can as a single parent. I have reached out to assistance programs and unfortunately do not qualify. So here's my next step. Josie's bills and cost of living is more than my single income can afford. If you are able to donate any amount so I can continue my research on Josie's health, it will not go unrecognized. Until we have answers, I will not stop fighting. She is my life.

       Here is Josie's whole story. Josie Mae Harden entered this world January 19th 2018. She checked out of Stormont Vail 100% healthy. When she was only one week old, we moved back to my parents farm in Rossville, KS. I knew raising a child required sacrifices and extra income. We stayed there, for free (my parents are a blessing), for 9 months until I felt financially stable enough to start our journey in our very own home.
      Before I bought our home, we did some growing and learning. As we went to appointments, her weight was always on the lower side of the scale. She started at the fourth percentile. She was placed on a high calorie diet at a young age to help increase her weight. Time passed and her weight improvement was minimal. Her pediatrician said as long as she doesn't lose weight and continues to gain (even slightly) then that is progress. Just before Josie turned 8 months old she had her first episode. September 11th 2018 was a horrifying day as her parent.
        The morning seemed normal. I held my sleepy child in my arms, waiting for her to open her sleepy eyes. After about an hour, things became concerning. I moved her around to get her blood pumping, wanting her to become more aware. Two hours pass and I began crying. I'm home alone as a first time mother with a baby that won't move. I put my ear to her chest and can feel her breath, and her heart pumping. I took her temperature (which had a normal reading), I tried hydrating her, and I even tried getting food in her tummy. She didn't even have enough strength to hold her head up. By the fifth hour, she was happy and laughing. What just happened to my baby girl?
       One day passed, she acted like nothing happened. One month passed, she kept playing and laughing. October came, I bought our home. It's beautiful, peaceful, Josie gets her own room, and best of all, it's our HOME. As things seem to settle in, and a routine starts to build, it happens again. On December 13th 2018, Josie has her second episode. It didn't take me two hours to begin crying this time. I called the hospital for reassurance. I decided to stay home. I laid her motionless body on my chest. We laid on the couch for a couple hours before I decided to let her nap in her bed. My ear was next to the baby monitor and my hand was inches from her bedroom door. What is her body doing that cause her to lose so much strength?
       Christmas passes, her first birthday, Easter, she went from crawling to walking, and can climb too. Maybe her body just went through a growth spurt. Maybe it was a combination of getting her first teeth and her body making changes. No one seemed to have an answer, and I was stuck with the fear of "not knowing". Again, time flew by and just as everything seemed to fall back to normal, episode number three.
       May 26th 2019 was strike three. This time was different. She woke up covered in vomit, still motionless. I wanted answers. She may not show any health risks short term, but what was really happening to her body long term? Allergies. I was told allergies was the cause. I'm sorry, but I'm a see it to believe type of person. I needed proof. I wanted an explanation as to why her pediatrician believed her episodes were caused by allergies. I personally never had allergies, as he explained what allergies can do to a person's (especially a toddler's) body, it did make sense. Maybe the answer was that simple 
       June 27th 2019, Josie looked at me with sleepy eyes. At this point I didn't cry anymore. I just held her in my bed. I stroke her back and tell her it's okay. I called her pediatrician to let him know that little Josie has had another episode. Nothing was done. July 9th 2019, Josie vomits all over herself while making a grocery run. I call her pediatrician again. He was able to make an appointment to see her the next morning. The vomiting is concerning for multiple reasons. Her body needs to absorb her food so she can gain weight. What is causing her vomiting? Motion sickness. That's right. Motion sickness. By now I'm sure you can see my frustrations. Yes, she was rear facing in her car seat when she got sick the day prior, but how do you explain her waking up in her own vomit? I mentioned to her pediatrician that he could do bloodwork. He insisted on seeing how she does for now. I bite my tongue because I have zero medical experience.
       Here is when thing start getting expensive. On August 26th 2019, my Josie had her most recent episode. I put my foot down nice and solid. I pay for Josie's healthcare, I am the boss! I want bloodwork done, period! On that same day, Cotton O'Neil made time for Josie to get bloodwork done. It didn't take but a couple days to get all the results. Most of her results came back normal, including her white blood cell count. I'm not sure what the testing was aimed at, but I could only assume they were searching for an infection. The blood work that did come back abnormal was:  Segmented Neutrophil (high), Lymphocyte (low), Monocyte (low), Eosinophil (low), MCHC (low), TSH (low), Potassium (high), Glucose (high). An urine analysis was conducted and came back clear of infection. There was no obvious track to follow. Josie was referred to the Endocrinologist. This felt like a step forward. Could her Thyroid be the problem?
      With the bloodwork not being cheap, I applied for assistance programs to help other financial costs. Such as:  KanCare, WIC, Food Stamps, Head Start, LIEAP, Medicaid. No such luck. The only other person I felt I should turn to was Josie's father. I asked if he could help cover some childcare costs, or even watch her on any available days (to save babysitter fees and so I could work overtime). He, himself, is also financially struggling and barely has time for himself. So here I am, reaching out to friends, family, and even strangers to help me with my baby girl, because I just can't seem to do it on my own.
       On September 16th 2019, Josie met her Endocrinologist. Her weight has improved a little. She is finally in the seventh percentile. She is so close to reaching 20 pounds! I call her my BIG little girl. She has been so tough, considering all she has been through. The Endocrinologist felt her Thyroid was normal. She did very well explaining why she thought this, and what she wanted me to do for the next two weeks, as we waited for more bloodwork results. We were sent home with a machine that reads and logs Josie's blood sugar. Each morning I was to poke her finger and squeeze some blood on a test strip. If her blood sugar ever reads lower than 60, I needed to take her in.  She did get sick again, on September 19th 2019, but snapped out of it quicker than usual. As of today (September 24th 2019), her blood sugar ranged from 69-101. I received a call, from Stormont Vail, with bloodwork results. Everything appeared normal except her Somatomedin-C. This showed to be on the lower side of the chart. It is a growth hormone. Due to her size, there wasn't any surprise with this test result being low. So now, we wait again.
       Her next appointment is with the Endocrinologist in December 2019 to share her blood sugar logs, and figure out our next steps. Then, her 2 year old appointment with her pediatrician in January 2020. 
       I am doing what I can to save money and cut costs. The additional health testing is putting us in a crunch. I'm not asking for much, just enough to get us by. I am determined to be the best mother. Josie will be okay. I will not have it any other way. If you want to reach out to me with any helpful information or just a kind words, please do so.
    My name is Kayla Harden. I became a mother at 23 years old. I'm from Rossville KS. Josie isn't only my daughter, she is my life.