Meet Super Hunter! Here is the face of one of the bravest, strongest, and  most courageous little two year olds you will ever see. Hunter has spent the majority of his tiny life enduring treatments, needles, tests, procedures, surgeries and so much more. Hunter started getting sick when he was about 5 months old, and has been fighting ever since. While still currently in the "diagnostic phase" to figure out just which genetic mutation has caused such pain and sickness for Hunter and his family, he has some sort of rare genetic disorder classified as an  immune dysregulation disease. As this disease progresses, it creates an auto-immune response which progressively affects and attacks different organ systems throughout Hunter’s tiny little body. Since 15 months old, he has been on different life saving treatments, that require his mom, Cathryn, to bring him back and forth to Boston Childrens’ Hospital. This past summer, more issues continued to arise, and it became apparent that this disease was reeking much more havoc, on more organ systems throughout his body. In December, Hunter was also diagnosed with severe neutropenia, making him even more at risk and vulnerable than he already was. He now receives weekly treatment at home, along with a slew of other appointments, tests, hospital trips, procedure, surgeries, hospital admissions, injections and more. His dear mother Cathryn, a single mom to 4, has done nothing but fight, love, nurture and dedicate her entire life to her children and to Hunter and Ivy’s medical needs. Her one year old daughter, Ivy, was born on day one of the COVID-19 pandemic at just 28 weeks. After unknowingly contracting HiB, a rare and life threatening infectious disease during her pregnancy, she gave birth to yet another tiny fighter. Ivy is also still in the diagnostic phases of her medical complexities, but suffers from both physical and cognitive delays including, severe hypertonia, which affects Ivy’s movement, and ability to crawl, pull herself up, or walk. She is currently undergoing strenuous physical therapy, occupational therapy and more. Recently, it was also brought to light, that Ivy too might have the same life altering disease her Big brother has. 

To say Cathryn has a lot on her plate would be an understatement, and I think anyone who knows Cathryn would ask how she is still standing; and doing so while relentlessly fighting for her Childrens heath and needs. The emotional and physical weight of dealing with all of this, having to step back from her work completely to care for her children, all while during a pandemic, has caused significant stress and turmoil for her and her children. Over the last couple of weeks, it seems crisis after crisis after crisis has hit the family, and I am hoping that we as a community can rally around Hunter, Ivy, Bailey, Lucy and their superwoman of a mama, Cathryn to help take some of the financial burden off of their backs. Between having no income, multiple appointments, procedures, week long stays, etc in Boston (which is a 6 hour round trip commute for the family), the bills are piling up and necessities are going unmet. One woman cannot hold this burden alone, these children and their mama really, really need many gentle loving hands, and to be surrounded, uplifted and given some relief as they navigate this even more difficult road ahead. 



If there is a family who could use the lifting love and light from her community, any kind of break, or ounce of peace and hope, its Cathryn and those sweet babies of hers.