Dear friends, family, and kind strangers, my name is Ann and our family has been through an unimaginable nightmare. Our precious son, Marshall, suffered a tragic accident at school when his hand got caught in a treadmill, resulting in severe 3rd-degree full-thickness burns to his left hand and fingers. What started as a normal day turned into every parent’s worst fear.

Marshall was immediately rushed to the pediatric burn ICU in Phoenix, where he spent 7 grueling days fighting through intense pain and initial treatments. The road ahead is long and uncertain: multiple skin grafting procedures, extended hospital stays in the ICU, ongoing medications and specialized supplies, intensive occupational therapy to regain function in his hand, and likely scar revision surgeries in the future. He’s enduring physical agony and deep emotional challenges, but our boy is incredibly strong—he has a true fighter’s spirit that inspires us every single day.

Marshall’s biggest dream is to become an Air Force Pilot one day and eventually retire from the Space Force. He talks about it constantly, drawing pictures of planes and rocket ships, often dressing up in his Military gear and Astronaut costume, and we pray with all our hearts that this injury doesn’t steal that future from him. We’re doing everything we can to support his recovery so he can chase that dream.

We live in Yuma, Arizona, and all of his specialized burn care, surgeries, and follow-up appointments are with specialists in Phoenix—about 250 miles one way, approximately a 4 hour one way trip. This means frequent, urgent travel: long drives multiple times a week or month, gas, tolls (if any), meals on the road, and sometimes overnight stays. Both my husband (Dad) and I have had to take significant time off work to be by his side, which has hit our finances hard. On top of everything, we’ve been slammed with unexpected and urgent vehicle repairs—our reliable car broke down right when we needed it most for these critical trips, adding several hundreds of dollars in immediate repair costs we weren’t prepared for.

Medical bills are already mounting, and insurance doesn’t cover everything—deductibles, copays, uncovered therapies, travel expenses, lost wages, and the day-to-day costs of keeping our family afloat during this crisis. We never imagined we’d need to ask for help like this, but we’re turning to our community in hopes of easing the overwhelming burden so we can focus fully on Marshall’s healing.

Any donation—no matter the size—will make a real difference. Funds will go directly toward:

• Hospital and ICU stays

• Skin grafts and surgical procedures

• Medications and burn care supplies

• Occupational therapy sessions

• Travel costs to/from Phoenix (gas, lodging, food)

• Urgent vehicle repairs to ensure safe transportation

• Lost income from time off work

• Any unexpected medical or recovery needs that arise

Marshall lights up our world with his courage and determination. Your support would mean the world to us and help give him the best chance to recover fully and soar toward his dreams.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Thank you for reading, sharing, and considering helping our family through this. Every bit of kindness helps.

With gratitude and hope,

Ivan & Ann Nino

Proud parents of Marshall