Help Duncan Heal: Supporting Life-Changing Surgery and Recovery

Duncan has been diagnosed with Chiari Malformation Type I, a neurological condition that now requires a specialized surgical procedure with expert physicians outside of Florida. After months of pain, hospital visits, and major lifestyle changes, Duncan and his family are preparing to travel for surgery and recovery.

Your support will help provide:

    •    Travel & Lodging: Transportation to the specialized surgical center and housing for 20 days for Duncan and his caregivers during treatment and recovery.

    •    Medical Expenses: Out-of-pocket costs for appointments, surgery-related care, follow-ups, and medical equipment not fully covered by insurance.

    •    Recovery & Adaptation: Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Resources to help Duncan safely adjust while healing (10 to 90 days) and find new ways to thrive during this season of limited physical activity.

Every contribution—large or small—helps lift the weight of this moment and allows ten year old Duncan and his family to focus on what matters most: his healing and a hopeful return to the life he loves. If you’re able, please consider donating and sharing Duncan’s story with others who may wish to help.

"Welcome to the Rock"

In the theater, we tell the story of "The Helpers"—the people of Gander, Newfoundland, who opened their hearts to thousands of strangers in their darkest hour. This season, I’ve had the honor of performing as Diane & Others in Come From Away at the Alhambra Theatre and Dining. It is a show about finding light in the middle of a crisis.

But on opening night, as I bowed for the curtain call, the lines between the stage and my reality blurred. While my character worked to save her community, my own son, Duncan, was being rushed to the Emergency Room. I arrived at the ER still in my red opening night dress, a stark contrast to the unfolding trauma. Neighbors called out of concern after seeing the ambulance at my house, while I was miles away, literally crawling over shrubbery to reach the ambulance bay where the vehicles enter the facility.

I intercepted the ambulance crew while Duncan was still inside the truck, begging the driver to take the extra twenty minutes to reach the hospital with the specialized children's wing his pediatrician had recommended, in case his condition was imminent. They wouldn't; they were bound to the nearest Children’s ER. Inside, the nightmare deepened as Duncan suffered through vomiting and the slow, delicate process of receiving fluids for his hyponatremia.

At 2:30 a.m., the ER pediatrician informed me she was leaving and that no other pediatrician would be in the facility. She ordered a transfer to the downtown hospital—the very one I had begged for hours earlier. By 3:00 a.m., I was in the back of a second ambulance, holding my son as he struggled. I had managed to swap the red dress for a set of black clothes that happened to be in my backseat, but the "split-screen" nature of my life remained. In the dim light of the ambulance, the assistant looked at me and said, "I recognize you." When I asked if he was from the arts or UNF, he then recalled that his sister had worked with me on a production of The Sound of Music.

That terrifying night’s journey led to a five day hospital stay for my son, and the discovery of an underlying Chiari 1 Malformation. In a single night, our world shifted from the applause of a theater to the critical reality of a neurological crisis.

A Decade of Community; A Season of Vigil

For nearly ten years, I have served as an instructor at the University of North Florida. My mission has always been to lift others up by building bridges for my students and the Jacksonville community. Whether connecting future leaders with the Mayo Clinic, the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens, St. John’s Riverkeeper, and The Arc Jacksonville, or supporting local artistic connections including A Classic Theatre St. Augustine, MOCA Jax, Friday Musicale, Jax Beach Aerial Arts, Art for Better, Theatre Jacksonville, Alhambra Theatre, Thrasher Horne Center, The Island Theatre, FSCJ Artist Series, and The Cummer Museum, I have dedicated myself to others.

For the last five years, I have also volunteered with Broadway Hearts, a group that brings the joy of song directly to children in hospitals. I have spent years singing for children facing their hardest battles; I never imagined I would soon be the mother sitting in the bedside chair, praying for a song of my own.

Life Imitating Art

In our play, the travelers find themselves in a state of purgatory, resting on plastic chairs and waiting for the world to make sense again. That has been my quiet reality for the last six months. From the moment Duncan was hospitalized in August until mid-January, I slept by his side every single night. I have only just begun sleeping in my own bed again.

I have spent months in the sterile glow of hospital exam rooms, carrying the weight of Duncan’s world—sometimes literally carrying him when his body was too weak or in pain to walk. Throughout this, I have been held up by an incredible "island" of my own: the cast, band, and crew of the shows, along with family, friends, and neighbors who stepped in when the world felt heavy to carry alone.

The Shrinking World of a "Warrior"

Duncan has been in constant pain since August. While parenting a special needs medically complex child is a road defined by its demands, these new challenges have further restricted the boundaries of Duncan’s daily life. The simple joy of his backyard trampoline is now a danger; he watches the neighbors' children jump from two doors down, unable to join. The baseball, soccer, golf, surfing, and the water parks that brought him joy are now off-limits due to the neurological risks. Duncan has had to stop doing everything he loves while he heals, but his spirit remains unbroken. He has started writing poetry, and studying music. His most recent poem that premiered digitally at I-ASC Neurolytical Cafe on 01/28/2026 is below:

"Time to Do"

The time clock says get ready.

Gets read.

For the time is now to do something.

Good things.

God sees.

Goodbye.

It’s time to do.

Duncan wants to be healthy, to make friends, and to return to the pool where he dreams of being a professional swimmer. He wants to live.

Assembling the Crew

Duncan needs a specialized surgical procedure. While I manage the daily activities here in Florida, Duncan’s father, Michael, though not local, is a source of support, and both he and Duncan’s grandmother, Cheryl, are making the journey to be by our side for this out-of-town travel, surgery, and recovery.

How You Can Help

I have spent ten years teaching my students how to be active, compassionate members of the Jacksonville community. Today, I am asking my community to join me as a "helper" in Duncan’s journey toward healing. We are seeking to raise funds to cover:

Travel and Lodging: Getting Duncan to the specialized hospital and surgical center and housing (20 days) his support team so we can focus entirely on his recovery.

Medical Expenses: Costs for the out of pocket doctor's appointments, followups, specialized post-operative care, physical therapy, and medical equipment not covered by insurance.

Adaptations: (10 to 90 days post-op) Helping Duncan find new, safe ways to thrive in a world that currently has so many boundaries.

In Come From Away, we say: "Tonight we honor what was lost, but we also commemorate what we found". Thank you to our helpers and thank you for seeing, supporting, and loving Duncan.

With gratitude and courage,

Maureen