Thank you for taking interest in my daughter’s illness, and I am so grateful for the contributions that you have made. I’d like to share more about how sickle cell became a life changing event for our family.

My name is Wykeithia Smalls and I am a 36 year old mother to 5 year old, Khamael and 2 year old twin girls, Tori and Kori. Kori was blessed not to have been born with sickle cell.

Before Tori’s diagnosis, our lives were on track. I had been regularly employed under various administrative and office roles. I was simultaneously in college. While pregnant with twins, my employer hosted a baby shower for me and in total, I had worked there for 4 years. I am very proud of the life that I had been building with my family and the college degree I had been pursuing.

Having a baby with sickle cell changed all that. Tori requires regular monitoring, medication, emergency doctors’ visits, and constant care that forced me to abandon my studies and made me unable to report to work with regularity. To reduce our cost of living, I moved our family from NYC to Fredericksburg, VA. But still, realities of single motherhood continue to challenge us.

It would help us immensely if anyone could share any leads for a job I could do remotely so I could still be with my children and care for Tori. I can do and have thrived in customer service work, as well as administrative functions for the State of New Jersey, an HVAC company, and other state agencies. I am in the process of seeking part time and as-needed gigs in my new community.

Meanwhile, my family would be so appreciative of any contributions you can make towards some of our essential expenses:

Doctor visits co-pay: $35

Penicillin: $60 monthly

Diapers: $40 weekly

Childcare: $75 weekly

Rent: $1,572 monthly

Electricity: $130 monthly

Even with $700 in monthly food stamps and annual child tax credits, if I can’t keep a job because of the nearly full time care Tori needs during these critical years of sickle cell, I still cannot make ends meet.

Tori has been denied social security but I plan to appeal under a new program for children with sickle cell. Unfortunately, the first appointment I can get is in October, and we are in immediate threat of eviction. $7,000 would carry us through approximately 3 months until a favorable ruling on our appeal. Please help us pray for this outcome.

As an adult woman who had always been independent, it took all of me to reach this point of turning to the kindness and generosity of all of you, including strangers. God bless and may your lives be long, happy, and healthy.

Gratefully,

Wykeithia and family