This is Miles. He is 3 1/2 years old.

Idolized by his little sister Zoe, adored by friends, loved by extended family, and spoiled with affection from his mama, Allie, and dada, Chris. Miles enjoys learning weird animal facts, collecting “perfect rocks,” wearing mismatched pajamas, singing the Paw Patrol theme song, and identifying every character from the Cars movies. He talks in his sleep about things like wanting a croissant, jumping like a frog, or meeting a Ferrari.

Miles is exceptionally bright, communicative, curious, thoughtful, and silly. He’s also irritable, stubborn, and impatient — he’s 3 after all.

And he has big feelings because he’s facing big, scary things.

After more than a year of revolving daycare illness, Miles’ recurring gastrointestinal symptoms suddenly weren’t subsiding as they should. His appetite decreased, he could no longer sleep through the night, screamed in pain while going to the bathroom, and lost interest in the things he usually loved. He begged to understand what was happening to him and why he wasn’t feeling better.

Endless doctor appointments, feeding therapy, and specialist visits didn’t seem to provide any obvious answers. His medical team was working hard to prioritize his needs and narrow down a diagnosis.

Just when his health took a turn for the worse this February, Miles’ mom was laid off unexpectedly.

With little notice before insurance would expire at the end of the month, Allie and Chris were left scrambling to ensure that Miles’ medical preauthorization approvals would not lapse. It wasn’t any insurance they needed, they needed that specific coverage for just a few more weeks to avoid a delay in care.

Allie requested an extension of employment status to avoid interruption of Miles’ treatment. The request was denied.

His situation had been manageable from home, but the insurance interruption delayed access to continued, urgent care. While his parents awaited enrollment in Chris’ insurance and new preauthorization approvals, Miles’ health deteriorated rapidly.

The result was traumatic and avoidable. Miles was admitted through the ER and hospitalized for 7 days.

He's been poked with dozens of needles, is receiving nearly all of his nourishment through an NG feeding tube, and has endured multiple scary tests and exams; he’s been under full anesthesia for an hours-long MRI/MRE and 2 colonoscopy/endoscopy procedures. After the second scope showed little improvement, his care plan quickly evolved. An infusion treatment series was scheduled and the first appointment lasted nearly 9 hours.

This is more challenge than any 3 year-old should ever experience.

Through it all, Miles has shown unbelievable strength and bravery. Still, once joyful sleep talk turned dark. He would wake in a terrified panic, completely drenched in sweat — screaming and crying with painful memories of his hospital stay.

While they remain hopeful and optimistic for the future, the family is understandably broken. The emotional toll of it all is immeasurable. Worse, we will never know the psychological and physical pain Miles has felt.

Imagine parenting two young children, constant doctor appointments, navigating battles with insurance, test results with no answers, losing your job, unexpected hospital stays, and having to find a new source of income to pay for this nightmare.

Please support Miles, Allie, Chris, and Zoe as they rally to achieve wellness and stability.

There are 3 things you can do to help:

1) Donate

The financial burden is measurable. The family needs help to manage medical costs. They are also at the end of their savings to cover regular expenses for the next few months.

Donations will allow Allie and Chris to focus energy on helping Miles get better and getting back into a reliable rhythm of life for their family.

Funds will be put toward:

2) Share

Share this GoFundMe with your friends, family, or professional network!

When community comes together, we will generate more support.

3) Speak Up

As a professional community, we must advocate for respectful and dignified employment practices that prioritize the wellbeing of employees and their families.

Layoff decisions and terms should not be an exception.

Let’s demand better for ourselves and our loved ones.

Update: many of you have asked to help coordinate meals for Miles and fam, so we set up a Meal Train. Please coordinate with Chris for Allie on days/times.