Hello friends and family. Vanessa and Eric’s daughter, Harriet, needs our help. Harriet woke up Saturday morning with neck pain, which at first seemed minor. By Sunday, she had a fever and her neck was too stiff to move, so her father Eric took her to urgent care. She was diagnosed with strep throat and an ear infection, and sent home with antibiotics.

However, by Monday, Harriet wasn’t showing typical symptoms of strep or an ear infection—she was eating and drinking almost normally, but still couldn’t move her neck. Vanessa, her mother, called urgent care again, but was told to give the medication more time. Trusting her instincts, Vanessa took Harriet to the ER in the middle of the night when the pain worsened and Harriet refused to move her neck or head.

It turned out Harriet had an abscess growing in her throat, behind her tonsils, which was developing pus and fluid. The situation was serious enough that Harriet and Vanessa were rushed by ambulance to the Children’s Hospital. The abscess could have grown larger and closed off her airways, and was close to becoming septic. Thankfully, with the right medication, Harriet is doing better, but she will likely need minor surgery to have the abscess drained. She is still in a lot of pain, and her family is facing a difficult road ahead.

Update as of Thursday, Harriet had surgery and everything went well and recovering.

Vanessa and Eric have been out of work for a week to care for Harriet and their two other children, and the medical bills are quickly adding up. In this same week their family car also broke down and is in the shop. Our dear friends need our support now more than ever. Please consider helping Vanessa, Eric, and Harriet during this challenging time. Any contribution, big or small, will make a difference and help ease the burden on this loving family.