Everyone knows me:) I'm Jess! This sweet, beautiful, baby girl is my 2-year-old niece, Avery!

It started with the small things...hard to notice at first. Avery seemed thirstier than usual, constantly asking for water or juice. Then her parents noticed she was becoming more comatose. She was tired all the time. She wouldn't even want to walk from the family room to the kitchen. She had to be carried. Her appetite dwindled to almost nothing. She would pee through her diapers and her clothes after only a couple of hours wearing them. She was too weak to play, her breathing was shallow, even her color was ghostly pale. Avery was seen by 3 different doctors over the span of the 7 days.

The final diagnosis came as a shock to all of us: Type 1 Diabetes. Their baby girl's pancreas failed and was now considered a "dead organ". It has stopped producing insulin, and without it, she was slowly becoming too sick to survive. The doctors explained that she would need daily insulin injections for the rest of her life. She was placed in the Pediatric ICU immediately. A 4 day stay that would rack up a $27,000 bill.

But the physical pain was only half of the battle. For the Klima family, the financial toll has become overwhelming. Each month, they face a mountain of medical bills - prescriptions for insulin, supplies for monitoring her blood sugar, special diets, and regular doctors' visits (sometimes 3 times per week) in Rapid City. Insurance didn't cover close to everything, and they found themselves having to come up with $10,000 cash for a deductible in October and come 2025, another $10,000 out of pocket cost to cover the years medical expenses. So, in just the span of 4 months, they will have had to come up with $20,000 cash lump sum, on their own. Every year now for the rest of Avery's life, they can count on paying $10,000 lump sum out of their own pocket, just to make sure this beautiful baby girl can continue on in this life.

If her levels are not managed perfectly, she could slip into a diabetic coma, organ failure, or even worse. Ryan and Hayley are living every parent's nightmare daily. Thankfully her diagnosis is treatable, but it is unimaginably hard to manage in a 2-year-old.

The Klima's have done so much to help the community. Their Christian organization - A Mother's Love, has helped over 53 local kids in need. Supplying clothes, diapers, wipes, and essentials. Perhaps it is time to see how we can help them and my sweet niece, Avery.