Hi, I’m Michelle, a long-time resident of Conway and a huge community supporter, helping with any fundraising I can and have for many years. Now it’s my turn to reach out to my community to help my cousin's sweet little 14-year-old boy who is currently in Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh fighting for his life with the rare disease ADEM. It attacks the myelin sheath, the protective covering around nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. It’s such a horrible and painful process to go through. This began on Easter morning and was undiagnosed by a few medical centers until Children’s took charge and life-flighted him to Pittsburgh.

Mom was the only financial person working and was due to start a new job but now has had to put that on hold so that she can be with Tyler at the hospital day and night. Currently, he is still in ICU with not many answers on his chances of becoming a normal 14-year-old again or even making it home. His health insurance is paying all his medical bills, which is wonderful. However, there is no money coming in now for her monthly house bills, for food, traveling back and forth to the hospital, and the cost of gas, parking, and food for herself while she is there. We are all feeling the struggles of the economy, but she is feeling it more than most right now and needs our help. Any amount will help and sharing this post can also help. Please help us today to make life a lot less complicated and stressful so she can concentrate on her son's health.