Help Jackie and Henry Overcome Hardship

Hello Everyone,

My name is Jackie Lawrence and I am here to share my story. A little over nine months ago, I gave birth to my son Henry, who was born premature at 26 weeks and 2 days old, weighing 2 lbs 4 oz and 11 inches long! He spent 141 days in neonatal intensive care before getting discharged. NICU is a journey that I do not wish on anyone, but I am so thankful for my son.

Today I am coming to my community for help as we are truly struggling to make ends meet. This is literally the last thing I want to be doing, but unfortunately, we have been denied every single help possible. We have applied for financial hardship, Family First, Medicaid, help with churches, and any resources that have been provided have denied us because we make too much money. However, I have not been able to work steady hours since Henry came home in the middle of June. I cannot just send him to regular daycare because he wears oxygen and has a feeding tube, and with him not having a good immune system, he really just needs to be home. I am in the process of two as-needed nurse jobs, but they are not steady hours, and I can only work weekends. Recently, we had a scare where I woke up to sweet Henry being cold and lifeless, needing CPR. EMS took over 25 minutes to get to my house. Thankfully, I work with babies in my career, and I knew exactly what to do; otherwise, this might be a completely different post.

I am truly just at my wits' end with inflation and in need of help. Please help if you can or just share. I know that everyone is struggling, but I’m hoping with a little help, we will be okay again in another month or two!