Help Brave Claire Through Her Third Hip Surgery & Recovery

Hi everyone,

My name is Hali, and I’m reaching out today on behalf of our sweet 1-year-old daughter, Claire, who is facing her third hip surgery — along with some big medical and recovery challenges no child should ever have to face.

Claire’s Medical Journey

Claire was born with congenital hip dysplasia, a condition where her hip joint did not form properly. By just 3 months old, she was already in a brace and harness. Since then, she’s had:

• Two previous closed-reduction surgeries

• 12 weeks in a spica cast, twice

• Multiple cast changes, one of which caused severe side effects including seizure-like episodes

• A too-early cast removal due to illness

• Several different braces

• And most recently… IVIG treatments for Hypogammaglobulinemia and lymphocytosis, two immune system disorders that caused her to become very sick and pick up repeated infections over the past 3 months.

As of now, she is preparing for a third closed reduction surgery on December 30th, and doctors have told us there is a real chance she may also need an open reduction if her hip still won’t stay in place.

What This Means for Claire

After this surgery, Claire will be in a full-body spica cast for 12 weeks or more.

She will have to relearn to sit up, crawl, roll, and eventually walk. Because she hasn’t walked yet, this will set her back even further in her development. Her doctors are already concerned about lasting gross motor delays.

Yet even through all this, Claire is a fighter. Her smile can light up a room and her spirit is filled with joy, no matter what she’s going through. Everyone who meets her sees her strength — she truly is a little warrior.

How It’s Impacting Our Family

We live 6.5 hours away from her specialists at the children’s hospital in Ann Arbor, MI. With repeated surgeries, hospital stays, and appointments, the cost of travel, hotels, and time off work has added up fast — especially with Claire being immunocompromised and needing safe, clean places to stay.

I’ve recently had to go part-time at work to care for Claire and attend specialist visits, which has put a further strain on us financially. All while also raising three older girls who adore their baby sister and are trying to stay strong through all the changes.

With holidays coming up, it’s been hard to see how quickly it’s all taken a toll — not just physically, but emotionally and financially on our entire family.

How You Can Help

We’re not setting a specific goal — anything you can give will help lift a tremendous weight off our shoulders. Every donation will go toward:

• Gas and food for medical trips

• Hotel stays near the hospital

• Medical/therapy expenses

• Support for our older girls as they continue to adjust to the changes

We know times are hard for everyone right now, so if you can’t donate, a share of this link and a prayer or thought for Claire would mean the world to us.

From the bottom of our hearts: Thank you for helping us give Claire the very best chance at a happy, healthy, mobile life. Our girls are our world, and we will do everything we can for them — but we need your help to keep going.

With endless gratitude,

Hali, Devin, Claire, and her big sisters Gracie, Ava and Josie