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Hi everyone,
My name is Shayna Goldner and while I am NOT the adorable little peanut in the picture I am here to share her story. Please take a moment to read before scrolling away and consider sharing or helping in a monetary way.
This little girl pictured above is Dassi (short for Hadassah). Dassi is 18 months old and has a very cute twin brother, Zach.
In February of 2019, my best friend (Dassi's mommy) was rushed to the hospital because she was in active labor at 28 weeks gestation. Because I was the closest one to the hospital (I worked less than 1 mile away) and the severity of the situation I was lucky enough to witness the birth of Dassi and her brother via emergency C-section. They were immediately admitted to the NICU with complications.
BUT let me tell you....this little, tiny princess was born a fighter! She came out SCREAMING and while she was the tiniest baby I had ever laid eyes on I could tell right away she was the strongest. And she continues to prove that to us time and time again, now 18 months old and growing.
You see, Dassi was born with a congenital heart defect and severe gastrointestinal complications. She spent the first 6 months of her life in the NICU and the next 6 months enduring specialists, surgeries, and medical procedures.
For the past year, Dassi has been growing because of something called a G-tube. A gastrosomy tube is a tube inserted through the belly that brings nutrition directly to the stomach. It's one of the ways doctors can make sure kids who have trouble eating get the calories they need. While this has helped Dassi grow it has come with its own set of challenges too. The G-tube requires around the clock care by her mother or a nurse, specialty training, and feeding therapy.
Last year, Dassi was put on a waiting list for an award winning feeding program through the University of Michigan that would help strengthen her eating skills in order to help her wean off the G-tube (the goal is to remove the G-tube in the future so she can have a normal childhood, etc). Unfortunately, because of COVID-19 the program was terminated indefinitely.
After the initial disappointment of the program being canceled, Dassi's family was able to find another program that Dassi would qualify for in regard to weaning off the G-tube.
This is why we are ASKING for YOUR help TODAY! This program is not covered by insurance. Dassi's parents have great coverage for her but after exhausting all appeals to get this therapy covered, they have no option but to either pay for the program out of pocket (which they don't have) or leave their daughter without this crucial therapy.
This feeding program literally will teach Dassi how to eat independently. Not only will it allow her to have the life of any other child but eating orally will help her retain calories for growth and give her new skills that are essential for a developing toddler.
Dassi's parents are divorced but both desperately want to be able to provide this therapy for her. Her father works hard and because of his job their health insurance is able to cover many of her medical costs but not this one. Dassi's mom stays home with her due to her medical needs. Not to mention, there are 5 other children in the family.
When I heard about this I felt the least I could do was help to create a fundraiser so that Dassi could get the feeding therapy she so desperately needs and to help alleviate the burden on her parents who are already struggling. They are an amazing family! Loving, giving, kind...they got it all! When my own baby was admitted to the hospital, Dassi's mom arranged around the clock meals for my family!
Dassi deserves to be able to eat like every other kid around the world. When you lick a delicious ice cream cone, enjoy your mom's favorite home cooked meal, or even eat your veggies that help you grow strong remember that Dassi can't do this without our help. She needs you to help her.
There are lots of organizations to give money to on the internet, most of them more than worthy. But I am asking you today to please give to this fundraiser:
Help Dassi Eat.
There is nothing more powerful than giving a little girl the ability to taste lollies with her siblings and slurp watermelon juice on the front porch just like most of us did as kids. She shouldn't be denied something we all take for granted because of insurance restrictions.
If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me. For our local families, this fundraiser is being supported by Rabbi Bleich (Oak Park, Michigan) and Rabbi Werner (Brooklyn, New York).
Please donate and give Dassi her ability to eat a chance!
With gratitude,
Shayna Goldner Dassi F. Dassi's Parents & Family
(Dassi's friend)
My name is Shayna Goldner and while I am NOT the adorable little peanut in the picture I am here to share her story. Please take a moment to read before scrolling away and consider sharing or helping in a monetary way.
This little girl pictured above is Dassi (short for Hadassah). Dassi is 18 months old and has a very cute twin brother, Zach.
In February of 2019, my best friend (Dassi's mommy) was rushed to the hospital because she was in active labor at 28 weeks gestation. Because I was the closest one to the hospital (I worked less than 1 mile away) and the severity of the situation I was lucky enough to witness the birth of Dassi and her brother via emergency C-section. They were immediately admitted to the NICU with complications.
BUT let me tell you....this little, tiny princess was born a fighter! She came out SCREAMING and while she was the tiniest baby I had ever laid eyes on I could tell right away she was the strongest. And she continues to prove that to us time and time again, now 18 months old and growing.
You see, Dassi was born with a congenital heart defect and severe gastrointestinal complications. She spent the first 6 months of her life in the NICU and the next 6 months enduring specialists, surgeries, and medical procedures.
For the past year, Dassi has been growing because of something called a G-tube. A gastrosomy tube is a tube inserted through the belly that brings nutrition directly to the stomach. It's one of the ways doctors can make sure kids who have trouble eating get the calories they need. While this has helped Dassi grow it has come with its own set of challenges too. The G-tube requires around the clock care by her mother or a nurse, specialty training, and feeding therapy.
Last year, Dassi was put on a waiting list for an award winning feeding program through the University of Michigan that would help strengthen her eating skills in order to help her wean off the G-tube (the goal is to remove the G-tube in the future so she can have a normal childhood, etc). Unfortunately, because of COVID-19 the program was terminated indefinitely.
After the initial disappointment of the program being canceled, Dassi's family was able to find another program that Dassi would qualify for in regard to weaning off the G-tube.
This is why we are ASKING for YOUR help TODAY! This program is not covered by insurance. Dassi's parents have great coverage for her but after exhausting all appeals to get this therapy covered, they have no option but to either pay for the program out of pocket (which they don't have) or leave their daughter without this crucial therapy.
This feeding program literally will teach Dassi how to eat independently. Not only will it allow her to have the life of any other child but eating orally will help her retain calories for growth and give her new skills that are essential for a developing toddler.
Dassi's parents are divorced but both desperately want to be able to provide this therapy for her. Her father works hard and because of his job their health insurance is able to cover many of her medical costs but not this one. Dassi's mom stays home with her due to her medical needs. Not to mention, there are 5 other children in the family.
When I heard about this I felt the least I could do was help to create a fundraiser so that Dassi could get the feeding therapy she so desperately needs and to help alleviate the burden on her parents who are already struggling. They are an amazing family! Loving, giving, kind...they got it all! When my own baby was admitted to the hospital, Dassi's mom arranged around the clock meals for my family!
Dassi deserves to be able to eat like every other kid around the world. When you lick a delicious ice cream cone, enjoy your mom's favorite home cooked meal, or even eat your veggies that help you grow strong remember that Dassi can't do this without our help. She needs you to help her.
There are lots of organizations to give money to on the internet, most of them more than worthy. But I am asking you today to please give to this fundraiser:
Help Dassi Eat.
There is nothing more powerful than giving a little girl the ability to taste lollies with her siblings and slurp watermelon juice on the front porch just like most of us did as kids. She shouldn't be denied something we all take for granted because of insurance restrictions.
If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me. For our local families, this fundraiser is being supported by Rabbi Bleich (Oak Park, Michigan) and Rabbi Werner (Brooklyn, New York).
Please donate and give Dassi her ability to eat a chance!
With gratitude,
Shayna Goldner Dassi F. Dassi's Parents & Family
(Dassi's friend)