My name is Jackie Dobson and my husband Josh and I are trying to raise money to help cover the medical bills and funeral costs for a very special family's loss, their youngest baby David Jr. (everyone called him DJ for short). It's important for me to begin with a little back story of how my husband and I met DJ and his family. Josh and I had been taking care of my grandmother ever since we got married 2 years ago (I took care or her by myself for 3 years prior to meeting my husband). My grandmother practically raised me and is going to be 97 this year and struggles with her health and dementia. For anybody who has had a family member with dementia compounded with other health problems, they know how hard it can be on the care givers (having to remind your loved one of who you are, assisting with personal hygiene, toileting, bathing, taking care of bills, making sure they are receiving three meals a day, helping them dress, scheduling and getting them to doctors appointments, the list could go on) and this took a huge toll and myself and my husband; we needed help. I found myself googling legal and financial help options for the elderly and stumbled upon a really wonderful lawyer who specifically worked with the elderly and pointed me in the direction to placing my grandmother in a residential home. A residential home is a house where people that need extra assistance (like the elderly) are provided with accommodation, meals, personal care (such as help with washing and eating) and these care givers all have some background in healthcare and work with insurance companies like Medicare to make sure your loved one is receiving proper care. We really really struggled for a long time finding a place that was right for us and for her. And we found that place with the most amazing residential home and family who are now like family to us, DJ's family. The Mercado family welcomed us with open arms into their home and when they took my grandmother in, it felt like the weight of the world was lifted off of our shoulders. This family has been in our lives for a little less than a year now, but never once treated us anything less than family, always offering us meals when we came to visit grandma or take her out, asking us about our days, and even offering to baby sit our children! (Although we don't have any yet haha). The Mercado family had two little ones (DJ, 18 months old and his older sister Ariann, 3 years old) that loved to play with my grandma and they brought a light back into grandma's life that had been missing for quite some time now. Josh and I looked forward to seeing those little faces every time we visited! However, there was an accident this past Thursday, DJ and his sister had been playing in the front yard and ended up in the garage while their dad had been working on the family truck. DJ had been by a shelf with some heavy machinery on it, it gave way and hit DJ's head. DJ was very badly injured and was rushed to chkd where he was put on life support. Josh and I went to see him and the family last night and I'm so so grateful we got to hold those little hands and tell him how much we loved him. We got news this morning that he passed away... it didn't even feel possible, it didn't and still doesn't feel real, we had just seen him last night. I know you may not know this family but they do so much for the community and the elderly and are so deserving of much more than what life has thrown at them. This family is made up of heros, they have nurtured and cared for so many families and have been there to take care of the elderly that have lived with them until God had taken them home. This family never asks for anything, they are tireless workers and are some of the most heartfelt people I've ever met. Please share even if you can't donate.... and please keep this wonderful family in your prayers and thoughts, they deserve so much more than this.