Hi everyone!

If you know our son Eli, you know he is the happiest child you’ll ever meet. He may not be a man of many words, but he has the biggest heart and shows so much love and affection to everyone around him.

Back in 2021, Eli was diagnosed with autism. Since that very day, he has worked harder than any kid we know. Thanks to his incredible work ethic in Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and ABA Therapy, he has come so far! He went from being completely non-verbal to partially verbal. He is fully toilet-trained and has become incredibly independent. He will even gather all the ingredients to make his own pancakes and just grab one of us to help him put it all together!

Eli truly deserves the best, and he never stops trying. A few fun things to know about Eli:

If you haven't noticed, Eli’s absolute favorite color is orange! You may ask how we know that. Well, he constantly wears his favorite orange shirt (which was originally Bayleigh's), his orange sandals, his orange shorts; honestly, if it's orange, he has to have it! He is also a huge fan of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. And no matter where we are going or what we are doing, Eli loves to wear his swim trunks anywhere. You know what? It’s a total style statement, and we are completely here for it!

Eli is also surrounded by the absolute best siblings. Bayleigh has been his number one fan since the literal day he was born, and the two of them are truly the best of friends. Of course, they fight like brother and sister sometimes, but who doesn't? Eli has also really stepped up and become an amazing big brother himself. Anytime baby Gabriel cries, Eli immediately says "Gabe" and jumps right in to be the biggest helper.

Right now, Eli lives on just a few "safe foods," which don't include any fruits or vegetables. To help him continue to grow and thrive, we have been given an amazing opportunity. Eli has been accepted into the intensive Feeding Program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

This is an incredible 4-week program that runs 5 days a week for 6 hours a day. It’s exactly what Eli needs, but it requires a massive commitment from our family. Justin or myself will have to take off work unpaid for the entire month to be with him. Between the loss of income, day-to-day living expenses, and commuting back and forth from Delaware County to CHOP’s main campus in Philadelphia, the costs are going to add up quickly.

Please know that we are not here just asking for donations. We want to make it worth your while to help out a good cause for our son! Instead of handouts, we want to give you something fun in return for your support. Please check out my Facebook for more details on this.

Anyone who knows Eli knows how hard he fights to learn and grow. We are asking if you would please consider supporting our boy on this next big step toward his eating journey. Every single bit of support means the world to our family.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this journey.