Our daughter is one of the bravest kids we know.
And a few months ago, she had to be braver than any child should ever have to be.
We were driving to California for her brother’s track meet when Scarlett suddenly became extremely sick—queasy, dehydrated, unable to stay awake. We rushed her into the nearest ER, in the middle of nowhere. For nearly an hour, she lay there pale and exhausted while nurses worked around her, and we watched terrified.
Then the doctor came in with words no parent forgets:
“Your daughter is in diabetic ketoacidosis. She’s diabetic.”
Her tiny body was fighting for its life. Their small rural ER wasn’t equipped to treat pediatric DKA—she needed to be transported to a trauma center back in Nevada. But there wasn’t a bed open yet. Scarlett had to wait, hooked to monitors, struggling to stay conscious, until the call finally came that she could be moved. They couldn’t start insulin until she was in the PICU where she could be monitored closely.
They told us she needed to be flown by a CareFlight medical airplane.
Our family turned the car around and drove the 4 hours back home, while I boarded the plane with her. The flight itself lasted nearly an hour.
She was so disoriented. I reassured her the whole way—just her, me, two medics, and the pilot—surrounded by emergency equipment while they monitored her heart, oxygen, and blood sugar.
She spent four days in the hospital—three of those in the PICU—fighting her way back to stability, getting rehydrated, and slowly bringing her blood sugar down to safer levels. She had lost 9 lbs from being in diabetic ketoacidosis. Even now, Scarlett checks her blood sugar multiple times a day, changes sensors, takes insulin, and carries emergency supplies everywhere she goes. She handles all of it with a strength that amazes us.
The bills from her emergency added up to $178,247.25—the ER, the ambulance rides, the medical airplane, the hospital stay, and the treatment that saved her life.
Insurance is covering some, but not all. And recently, our insurance changed and stopped covering several of her essential supplies, leaving us paying out-of-pocket for items she needs every single day. Despite taking extra jobs and hustling to pay the bills as they roll in, that eventful weekend left us with a mountain of medical debt.
Your support will help us cover:
The remaining balance of her emergency medical bills
Her ongoing diabetes supplies and technology
The care Scarlett needs to stay safe, healthy, and strong
Any donation—big or small—helps take weight off her little shoulders and ours. Even sharing helps. This is a lifelong diagnosis that changed her life in an instant. Thank you for helping us support our daughter as she navigates a diagnosis she never asked for but faces with incredible courage.
With all our love and gratitude,
Rachel & family ❤️