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<div>I Our family is reaching out with humble hearts to ask for help during one of the hardest seasons of our lives.
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<div>My wife, Heather, received a kidney transplant years ago, but her transplanted kidney has now failed, and she is back on dialysis while we wait and pray for another kidney transplant. Every day is a battle. The dialysis treatments, medications, and complications leave her exhausted, in constant pain, and struggling just to make it through the day.
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<div>After spending 11 days in the hospital, we learned that she also has a leaky heart and may need heart surgery. She has been fighting dangerously high blood pressure, and now she is experiencing vision problems that we pray are temporary. It feels like every time we overcome one obstacle, another appears.
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<div>As heartbreaking as all of this has been, our challenges don’t end there.
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<div>Our daughter, Iris, has Dravet syndrome, an extremely rare and severe form of epilepsy. She requires around-the-clock care and constant supervision because her seizures can happen without warning, even while she sleeps. Temperature changes, fevers, warm baths, excitement, or illness can trigger life-threatening seizures. Some of her seizures require rescue medication, oxygen, and constant monitoring. She depends on us every hour of every day.
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<div>Because of the level of care both Heather and Iris require, I have become their full-time caregiver. My doctors have completed paperwork stating that I am unable to work because providing their care is a full-time responsibility. Between dialysis appointments, hospital stays, specialist visits, medications, therapies, emergencies, and caring for our children, there simply isn’t enough time for me to maintain outside employment.
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<div>Our family has also endured tremendous loss. Heather’s father recently passed away after battling cancer, and we are still grieving his loss while trying to navigate everything else life has placed in front of us. Not long before that, my own mother, who was our biggest source of support, also passed away. Losing the people we leaned on the most while facing overwhelming medical challenges has been heartbreaking.
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<div>We are also facing another serious concern involving our daughter’s transportation. Our community generously helped raise funds for a wheelchair-accessible van so Iris could travel safely to her medical appointments and emergencies. Unfortunately, the van currently has no working air conditioning. For most families, that would be an inconvenience. For Iris, it is a medical risk. Because of her Dravet syndrome, overheating can trigger severe seizures. During the Texas heat, we are constantly worried every time she has to ride in the van because something as simple as becoming too hot could lead to a life-threatening seizure.
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<div>Financially, we are overwhelmed. Hospital stays, dialysis, medications, travel expenses, food, gas, utilities, vehicle repairs, and everyday bills continue to pile up while our income has been drastically reduced. Every dollar goes toward keeping our family afloat and making sure Heather and Iris receive the care they need.
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<div>Heather is one of the strongest people I know. She has fought kidney disease for years, endured countless surgeries, procedures, medications, and hospitalizations, yet she continues to keep going for our family. She is tired, she is in pain, and she deserves the chance to live a full, healthy life free from constant suffering.
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<div>We are not asking because we expect anything. We are asking because we have reached a point where we simply cannot do this alone anymore.
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<div>If you are able to donate, share our story, or keep our family in your prayers, it would mean more to us than words can express. Every act of kindness, no matter how small, helps carry our family through this difficult season and gives us hope for better days ahead.
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<div>From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for taking the time to read our story. May God bless you and your family.
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Matthew Clark

Anonymous

Cecilia Plata

Ethan Capshaw

Benjamin High

Michael Mathews

Paul Garner

Entique Guevara

David Troyer

Philipp Schmidt-Pathmann

Amber Rogers

Maria Reyes

Help Our Family Through our Crisis Dravet & dialysis

Help Our Family Through our Crisis Dravet & dialysis

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