Friends, family, and kind-hearted strangers—

I come to you today on behalf of a family who means the world to me: Matthew, Bethany, and their precious newborn daughter, Eleanor Ruth Corbin.

Ever since meeting my best friend and her big brother in 2001, Bethany has been like a little sister to me since she was just six years old. I’ve watched her grow into the strong, kind, beautiful woman she is today. On September 17, 2022, she married the love of her life, Matthew Corbin. Together, they built a home filled with love, laughter, the joyful energy of their son, Axel, and their two precious pups, Nora & Rosie. When they found out they were expecting their first baby girl together, their hearts were full. Baby Eleanor Ruth was going to make them a family of four—or six, counting the pups!

But on April 28, 2025, at 8:14 am, the world turned upside down.

Bethany delivered Eleanor by C-section at Maine General in Augusta. From the moment she arrived, it was clear something was wrong. Doctors acted quickly, and Eleanor was rushed by ambulance to Maine Medical Center in Portland. Bethany, still recovering from major surgery, had to wait agonizing hours before she could follow her newborn daughter. When she arrived in Portland, she and Matthew were given heartbreaking news: Eleanor's condition was extremely complex and beyond the scope of local care. She needed to be flown by emergency life-flight to Boston Children’s Hospital.

Bethany wasn’t even allowed to travel with her daughter. She endured another 24 hours of painful waiting before finally being transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital—just to be close to Eleanor.

At Boston Children’s, doctors have run every test imaginable. They can see that Eleanor’s heart isn’t functioning properly and her body is struggling to support itself—but the exact cause remains a mystery. She’s being called the “mystery baby.” Despite countless scans, lab results, and consultations, no one has been able to fully explain what’s happening.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking detail of all: Bethany and Matt weren’t able to hold their baby girl for the first eight days of her life.

Now, Baby Eleanor is stable, thanks to machines, medication, and the tireless efforts of the medical team. But the road ahead is long and uncertain. The hope is to eventually transfer her back to Portland when it’s safe—but that day still feels far away.

This family is in the fight of their lives.

With hospital bills, multiple ambulance rides, a life-flight to Boston, and the cost of lodging, food, and travel between Maine and Massachusetts, the financial burden is crushing. And yet, Bethany and Matt are showing incredible strength and grace—focused solely on their baby girl.

This is where you and I come in.

They need us—their extended family, their friends, their community—to lift them up. To help carry this weight. To offer our prayers, our love, and whatever financial, emotional, and spiritual support we can.

We believe in miracles. We believe in community. And we believe that our Warrior Princess, Eleanor Ruth, is going to come home.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.