Hello, my name is Rachel, and this is my baby girl Gloria (photo). She's here with her best friend and biggest cheerleader, Sam, her older brother. **See latest update!!!!

A few weeks ago, she had a routine MRI of her brain and spine that revealed something NOT routine. They found a growth deep in the center of her beautiful brain, about the size of an acorn. It was brushed off at first as an "incidental" finding that wasn't causing any harm, but we felt something wasn't right and got a second opinion. Then blood work came back abnormal we were rushed through to a specialized neurosurgeon with an urgent referral.

We honestly don't know what is coming next, but we can't make it alone. I am partially disabled from the same connective tissue disorder my children inherited, and my husband is the sole provider for our family. We've been dealing with health issues nearly as scary as this for three years and were just finding some new balance when this happened. My husband works three jobs plus school to try to provide. This has hit out of the blue, but we know we're not alone! And we are so thankful to the friends and family who are helping set this up and share it for us with their communities.

This fund is for Gloria and what SHE needs. We need to make sure we can drive the 3 to 9 hours to see tumor specialists where they need her. If she needs surgery, we need to be able to pay the insurance premiums, deductibles and anything else that would get in the way of treatment (we'll of course, be applying for grants and support from the children's hospital as well, they're so good with these things). It's also the little things. Gloria and her brother are both Autistic, and the little things are not little for them. If she needs her favorite snack (rice pudding) or some Lego to build while in the hospital, if she runs out of art supplies or needs cozy clothes that don't get tangled in wires and tubes, this will mean we can just go do it.

This is Gloria trying to coax the waves to go back to their family and not stay away on the shore for too long. Thank you for helping us fight to keep this precious little one where she belongs. :) Thank you.