Hi everyone, and thanks for checking out our fundraising page.
We've had quite the year (and especially the summer) and I'm going to try to share at least a little bit with you.
Back in October, my son was admitted to the hospital with a rare condition called epiglottitis. The cause of this condition is almost always the HIB virus, which he had been immunized against. A month later, he was admitted again. Thus began months of doctor visits, admissions, surgeries, tests and trips to a Children's Hospital 3 hours away to figure out what was going on in his little body. At this point, we still don't know, but he has so far been diagnosed with motor delays, developmental delays, feeding and swallowing difficulties, hypotonia, and potential scarring of his white matter in his brain. Thankfully, he's a super happy kiddo and for now, he's thriving and doing well despite his delays.
Up until June, we have been able to cover his medical costs, trips, lodging, and related expenses through insurance and the amazing Ronald McDonald House. That all changed when I broke my foot.
After a week, I had excruciating pain in my calf and went in to be checked out. It turned out I had a DVT blood clot. Two days later, that clot turned into two pulmonary embolisms. I was admitted to the hospital and told a week after that I shouldn't return to work for at least a month. At my follow up, I was found to be anemic from the blood thinners and told that I probably shouldn't return to full time or full duty work at all because my recovery has been so up and down, and PE recovery can be unpredictable for up to a year. That has definitely been the case for me, as some days I'm great and the next I'll be in bed exhausted all day. I've been off work since July 3rd, and this has literally cut our income in half.
My medical bills alone are starting to approach $5,000. This is WITH insurance. My son has follow up MRI, EEG, and three more appointments at the children's hospital coming up in the next few weeks. Although food and lodging is taken care of with RMHC, the trip is 3 hours each way and medical expenses still incur.
This has been a long time in deliberation, as I'm not one to ask for handouts without at least making an effort to make money on my own. The reality is that even with what I CAN do, I won't be able to raise the money we need to cover these expenses. I know $5,000 is a lot. I don't know if we'll reach that goal. But I will say that right now, anything helps.
If you're local, I'd be happy to bake for you to say thank you! :) If you're unable to give, please at least share. If by some miracle we do reach past our goal, anything extra will be donated to Ronald McDonald House as a thank you for all they've done for us.