My name is Nicole, and I am a single mother to a firecracker of a daughter named Kaelynn. She is 15 years old and will soon be turning 16. Kaelynn has been through more in her young life than most people could ever imagine, yet she continues to amaze everyone around her with her strength, humor, and determination.

When Kaelynn was just 9 months old, she suffered brain swelling and a stroke that set her development back to a newborn state. Over the years she has been diagnosed with a rare mitochondrial disease, intellectual disability, ataxia, ADHD, ODD, and ataxic cerebral palsy. Despite these challenges, Kaelynn continues to light up every room she enters.

Last year, after careful consideration and many discussions with her medical team, I made the difficult decision to move forward with major corrective surgery on her legs and feet. Both of her femurs were twisted, and her feet needed reconstruction in hopes of improving her mobility and quality of life.

On December 4, 2025, Kaelynn underwent surgery to straighten her femurs and reconstruct her feet. Initially, everything appeared to go well and we were able to return home a few days later.

However, on December 19th, during a scheduled cast change, doctors heard clicking in her legs. X-rays showed that several pins had broken or pulled out of both legs, and Kaelynn had to undergo a second surgery just days before Christmas.

In late January, I noticed that some of her incision sites had opened and looked infected. Her knee became very swollen and warm to the touch. After contacting doctors and starting antibiotics, things unfortunately worsened. On February 6th, Kaelynn was admitted to the Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery to clean out her leg, where doctors discovered a severe staph infection in her left thigh.

Since then, Kaelynn has undergone yet another surgery on February 20th to clean the infection again, replace the plate in her leg, add new pins, re-straighten the bone, and to add a pickline because she does not do well with needles and needs regular bloodwork done, and constant antibiotics. She has also required two blood transfusions due to very low hemoglobin levels. Bandage chages are also problematic for her.

We have now been in the hospital for almost four weeks with no discharge date yet.

Despite everything, Kaelynn remains in good spirits. She has the entire nursing staff on their toes and loves trying to scare them whenever she gets the chance. She spends her mornings in the hospital schoolroom, lunches in the Ronald McDonald Family Room, and afternoons visiting the hospital TV station and playroom. Around here, she’s become a bit of a mini celebrity.

This week she achieved a huge milestone — standing on her right leg for the first time in almost three months during physiotherapy.

As her mom, I stay with her every day. Due to her complex medical needs, she cannot be left unattended. Unfortunately, I cannot access short-term disability through work because I am not the one admitted to the hospital, and I have already used all of my available leave.

I hate asking for help, but with an extended hospital stay and a long recovery ahead, I am struggling to keep up with basic expenses.

Funds raised will help cover:• Regular household bills• Groceries and basic needs while I remain at the hospital• Any equipment or supplies Kaelynn may need that are not covered

If there are funds remaining after Kaelynn’s recovery, they will be donated back to the Children’s Hospital that has cared for her so wonderfully.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for any kindness, support, or generosity you are able to offer during this incredibly difficult time.

With gratitude,Nicole & Kaelynn