My daughter Madalynn was diagnosed with Level three autism, global developmental delay, and Pica two years ago. She is still non-verbal at four and a half years old. As she has grown, it has become a challenge to keep her safe due to her tendency to elope and try to eat things that could seriously harm her. We have installed locks on everything throughout the house, but with six other siblings under the age of nine, sometimes things get forgotten. Maddie’s brothers and sisters do their best to help, but it’s a lot for everyone.

Madalynn has always struggled to relax enough to sleep, and we’ve been working with her autism specialist to find the right medication so she can get more than a few hours of rest at a time. The lack of sleep has taken a toll on our family, and there have been some very scary situations. One night, Madalynn managed to unlock the bathroom door, overflow the tub, and get into the Epsom salt under the sink. Because she is non-verbal, I didn’t know if she had ingested any, and we had to call poison control and her pediatrician’s emergency line. Thankfully, she was okay after being monitored for hours. She has also figured out how to unlock our front door, which is terrifying because we live near a river and she is drawn to water, not understanding the danger. We’ve added extra locks, but I worry that one night we might forget.

A sleep safe bed would take away so much of my worry at night and help keep Madalynn safe. I don’t typically ask for help, but when you have children, you really need a village. Raising a child with a disability is even more challenging, and the bed costs more than we can afford without insurance. I am determined to get this bed to keep my girl safe, and if anyone is able to help us, we would be forever thankful.