Hi, my name is Mary. I never thought I’d be here asking for help, but right now my daughter needs me to do everything I can for her.

She is medically fragile, living with a serious heart condition that causes palpitations, irregular rhythms, fatigue, and shortness of breath. On top of that, she has been suffering from debilitating migraines for over a year now. These aren’t just headaches — they come with stroke-like symptoms that cause her to pass out, leaving her in frightening pain and exhaustion. Because of this, she’s had to leave traditional school and switch to homeschooling.

We spend hours on the road — an hour each way — for appointments and testing, and we never know when an unexpected ER visit will come. In the not-so-distant future, she will need heart surgery. As a parent, it is devastating to watch your child go through so much at such a young age, knowing you can’t take away the pain or the fear.

I’ve used all of my paid time off from work, and every appointment now means lost wages. I'm riding a thin line between my baby girl, my 4 other kids and work. Some days I feel like we’re hanging on by a thread — praying the car makes it, praying I can stretch one more paycheck, and praying most of all for relief for my daughter.

That’s why I’m reaching out. Any help will go directly toward travel expenses, car repairs, and the time away from work that I can’t avoid when caring for her. Most importantly, it will give us a little bit of stability in this storm, and allow me to focus on what matters most — being there for my daughter through every appointment, every hospital stay, and every step of this journey. Your help ensures less stress when the time for surgery comes, helps give us a safety net when I am not able to work and provides much needed support to our family.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for listening, for sharing, and for supporting us. Your kindness gives us hope on the hardest days, and means more than I could ever put into words.