This is Irene Hunter (15 yrs old) and her mother, Meadow Gibbons (ageless). They are an awesome family. Irene just completed one of 2 major surgeries that will be performed 6 months apart. We are raising $10,000 to help them through this time. This is their story. I hope you will read it, and then please join me in supporting this dynamic duo.

Irene is an amazing human being. She is kind and gentle, has a wry sense of humor, sings and plays the ukulele beautifully, and is a lover of animals, particularly corgis.

Irene was also born with a number of disabilities, many of which required medical intervention over the years, including hip dysplasia, for which treatment included braces, full body casts (spica) as an infant and hip surgery when she was 4 years old.

Recently, Irene was told she needed serious surgery on both her hips and femurs, starting with one side, then the other in 6 months. These surgeries and subsequent therapies will help alleviate balance and mobility issues and pain. Two major surgeries was not exactly how she wanted to spend her first year of high school… But she has had the MOST incredibly positive attitude about it. In fact, she always has a positive attitude.

Meadow is an amazingly dedicated and loving single mother, and an incredible friend. Meadow has walked an impossible line between being a single working mom and making sure she can be present for Irene throughout her life when she needs her. And she’s done this while helping to hold up our frontline of healthcare, caring for the elderly, as a speech pathologist in skilled nursing. COVID was particularly hard for her because it required Meadow to use many PTO hours to compensate for a smaller caseload.

But who the hell am I, and why do I care? I’m their friend! I’m their friend because Irene has taught me just how poorly designed our world is for people with disabilities and has made me a better, more empathetic, smarter person for it. I’m their friend because her mother, albeit a single, hard-working mom, has ALWAYS made time for me and my trivial woes… she has been a rock for me throughout the pandemic years. She has helped me keep my own sanity when her world, in all respects, is significantly more challenging than mine. They are both selfless individuals who spread love and community everywhere they go. I love them both for EXACTLY who they are, and I want to help them in whatever way I can.

THIS is how I know WE can help:

While Irene’s surgeries will be covered by insurance (insurance for which Meadow advocated fiercely), many out-of-pocket expenses are adding up and are incredibly worrying.

We are hoping to raise a goal of $10,000. You can also make a direct donation to Meadow through Venmo at: @Meadow-Gibbons. Donations can help them with the following expenses:

- $5,000 estimated for loss of income while taking time off work to care for Irene.

- $1,500 estimated for lodgings near Irene’s hospital.

- $2,000 estimated for medical equipment needed to manage recovery from home.

- $1,500 estimated for car maintenance and gas to assure reliable and safe transportation to get Irene to and from appts at Stanford and physical therapy.

So please, dig deep, and make a donation so that this Mama can put her focus where it needs to be; on caring for her kid. And so Irene can focus on healing and being a kid. And loving Corgis.