- C
A major effort to benefit Trevor, Logan & Connor Gilbert
Kimberly (Watson) Herbert is my identical twin sister. Our oldest boys are close in age and so are our youngest. Her oldest, Trevor, arrived after a long and difficult labor. I told her I was also going to be a mom during that long evening. After becoming moms, though, our journeys have been very different.
Overall, Trevor was a happy and hyper toddler. He had some skin issues and strong allergies which required many hospital stays and trips to the ER to deal with asthma attacks and had to see doctors on a regular basis to deal with inflammatory skin rashes on his face. Medical bills began very early for my sister.
After struggling to have a second child, Kim finally found out she would be a mom again. By then I had had my two boys. We not only found out she was going to have a second, but that she was going to be having twins. The boys, also identical twins, were born at 27 weeks. They came into the world after a rough week where her lowest laying twin, Logan, lived with low amniotic fluid and Connor, the highest, had enough of the slowly draining liquid to keep him safe. They came via C-Section weighing just over 2 lbs each. As you can imagine, her medical bills began to mount even more.
Three and a half months in the NICU, a heart surgery, surfactant treatments for their underdeveloped lungs, hernia surgeries, ventilators and too many tubes to count made the slowly growing mountain of medical bills continue to pile... times two.
Since their early start, we have seen them overcome many obstacles and achieved many milestones. But there have still been many ER visits, ambulance rides, two bouts of anaphylactic shock that required an air transfer via helicopter to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, specialists, routine doctor follow-ups and medicines to treat heart issues, ADHD, asthma, and severe allergies (the twins wear backpacks with epi-pens and need two if they are ever in shock again, as the doctors warned my sister it will be seconds that count…not minutes).
In the summer of 2014, the littlest twin, Logan, after several misdiagnoses was finally diagnosed with Autism. He was originally diagnosed with ADHD and later found his meds were causing him little seizures. He has to go to therapy every weekend in St Louis as there are no local resources for him in the small town they live in. This is in the hope that he will be able to live a normal life as a high-functioning autistic.
My sister enjoys NO luxuries. She rents a small home with hard floors to help with allergies and asthma. She and her wonderful new husband drive late model cars with well over 100,000 miles on them. They live paycheck-to-paycheck to afford gas, school supplies, regular bills etc.
Kim and her husband travel for their jobs. Kim drives to the city and back (about 90 miles a day) to work and to take Logan to therapy. She does not have cable OR a landline. They have cell phones because their work requires them to. Both she and her husband work every day and some weekends as home health nurses. They’ve been trying for over two years to find anything else to help their situation – even applying for part time work and not getting it.
When they do have spare time, they volunteer as scout parents so their boys can enjoy some sort of extra curricular activities outside of home and school. They do not take vacations and when they do leave town, it is usually to see family or help someone else. The fun things they do get to do together are usually a gift from someone.
She tries to do photography on the side, as she is very talented (she has had to cancel several jobs from her sons hospital stays), and her husband uses his building skills to build sets for her and even built the kids toys for Christmas. Both she and her husband used to be volunteer firefighters and first responders.
Their current combined income (which is minimal) makes them not qualify for assistance even when more than they make combined goes out the door for bills or is in demand for medical expenses. She cannot even afford childcare and receives no support from their father. She is also currently tied up in a court case to try and force her ex husband to honor their agreement to pay 50% of their medical and school expenses. She has NEVER received a dime from him and continues to try to pay for everything.
My sister is broke. Both she and her husband need answers and dependable cars. Their home healthcare jobs take them all over several counties and they only get paid if they see patients. She cannot even afford gas right now as their money goes to maintenance medications and food. She also recently lost the twins social security (which they’ve received since the NICU and covered a portion of their medical and therapy).
For the past several weeks, her oldest son, Trevor, came down with unexplained illness. He has been chronically vomiting. Several days in the ER in both their hometown and Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center hospital revealed an enlarged spleen, infected liver and gallbladder full of sludge. He has lost over 25 pounds in a few short weeks. Kim has had to choose between working and helping her Trevor; all while maintaining her mediocre job. Thankfully, her husband has been able to continue working but this isn’t even keeping them afloat.
My sister’s immediate situation is DIRE. I have no idea how else to help her than to seek the help of a community who loves her. She is faced with medical bills we cannot fathom. Trevor’s current situation continues to require ER visits, ambulance calls, expensive medicine and tests, and extended hospital stays.
I am Kim’s twin. Call it a twin thing, but I feel every bit of her pain and hopelessness. I feel her anxiety and anxiousness. I feel her sadness. She needs a break. A hand. A sign of hope. She is ready to give up but won’t because of her boys and wonderful husband. I am so worried about her health.
If you can help in the slightest way, please do. 100% of your help and generosity will go toward her boy’s medical expenses and continued care.
She and her husband continue to look for ways to improve their situation, but every time they get close, they suffer a setback in some way. Moving isn't an option because of the restrictions of her divorce and even that requires money. Harassing medical collection calls are never-ending.
This week alone Trevor has landed in the ER in both St Louis and Farmington.
Update 1/23/15 - Tonight Trev is on the way to the ER to be admitted again as his situation is not improving. They know he had Hepatitis A which took a toll on his liver and he is now having other abdominal issues related to that.
Feb2- MRI revealed brain tumor on Trevor's ventricle. They will
Place a shunt to relieve pressure in brain which should reduce the dizzyiness and vomiting and then surgery to remove tumor on 2/4.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please and thank you and many blessings to you for anything that can help this family!
Best,
Korrie Wilhelm - Kim's twin sister and Trevor, Logan and Connor's adoring aunt!
(Oh,and just in case anyone wondered, my sister approved me sharing this story with you)
Kimberly (Watson) Herbert is my identical twin sister. Our oldest boys are close in age and so are our youngest. Her oldest, Trevor, arrived after a long and difficult labor. I told her I was also going to be a mom during that long evening. After becoming moms, though, our journeys have been very different.
Overall, Trevor was a happy and hyper toddler. He had some skin issues and strong allergies which required many hospital stays and trips to the ER to deal with asthma attacks and had to see doctors on a regular basis to deal with inflammatory skin rashes on his face. Medical bills began very early for my sister.
After struggling to have a second child, Kim finally found out she would be a mom again. By then I had had my two boys. We not only found out she was going to have a second, but that she was going to be having twins. The boys, also identical twins, were born at 27 weeks. They came into the world after a rough week where her lowest laying twin, Logan, lived with low amniotic fluid and Connor, the highest, had enough of the slowly draining liquid to keep him safe. They came via C-Section weighing just over 2 lbs each. As you can imagine, her medical bills began to mount even more.
Three and a half months in the NICU, a heart surgery, surfactant treatments for their underdeveloped lungs, hernia surgeries, ventilators and too many tubes to count made the slowly growing mountain of medical bills continue to pile... times two.
Since their early start, we have seen them overcome many obstacles and achieved many milestones. But there have still been many ER visits, ambulance rides, two bouts of anaphylactic shock that required an air transfer via helicopter to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, specialists, routine doctor follow-ups and medicines to treat heart issues, ADHD, asthma, and severe allergies (the twins wear backpacks with epi-pens and need two if they are ever in shock again, as the doctors warned my sister it will be seconds that count…not minutes).
In the summer of 2014, the littlest twin, Logan, after several misdiagnoses was finally diagnosed with Autism. He was originally diagnosed with ADHD and later found his meds were causing him little seizures. He has to go to therapy every weekend in St Louis as there are no local resources for him in the small town they live in. This is in the hope that he will be able to live a normal life as a high-functioning autistic.
My sister enjoys NO luxuries. She rents a small home with hard floors to help with allergies and asthma. She and her wonderful new husband drive late model cars with well over 100,000 miles on them. They live paycheck-to-paycheck to afford gas, school supplies, regular bills etc.
Kim and her husband travel for their jobs. Kim drives to the city and back (about 90 miles a day) to work and to take Logan to therapy. She does not have cable OR a landline. They have cell phones because their work requires them to. Both she and her husband work every day and some weekends as home health nurses. They’ve been trying for over two years to find anything else to help their situation – even applying for part time work and not getting it.
When they do have spare time, they volunteer as scout parents so their boys can enjoy some sort of extra curricular activities outside of home and school. They do not take vacations and when they do leave town, it is usually to see family or help someone else. The fun things they do get to do together are usually a gift from someone.
She tries to do photography on the side, as she is very talented (she has had to cancel several jobs from her sons hospital stays), and her husband uses his building skills to build sets for her and even built the kids toys for Christmas. Both she and her husband used to be volunteer firefighters and first responders.
Their current combined income (which is minimal) makes them not qualify for assistance even when more than they make combined goes out the door for bills or is in demand for medical expenses. She cannot even afford childcare and receives no support from their father. She is also currently tied up in a court case to try and force her ex husband to honor their agreement to pay 50% of their medical and school expenses. She has NEVER received a dime from him and continues to try to pay for everything.
My sister is broke. Both she and her husband need answers and dependable cars. Their home healthcare jobs take them all over several counties and they only get paid if they see patients. She cannot even afford gas right now as their money goes to maintenance medications and food. She also recently lost the twins social security (which they’ve received since the NICU and covered a portion of their medical and therapy).
For the past several weeks, her oldest son, Trevor, came down with unexplained illness. He has been chronically vomiting. Several days in the ER in both their hometown and Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center hospital revealed an enlarged spleen, infected liver and gallbladder full of sludge. He has lost over 25 pounds in a few short weeks. Kim has had to choose between working and helping her Trevor; all while maintaining her mediocre job. Thankfully, her husband has been able to continue working but this isn’t even keeping them afloat.
My sister’s immediate situation is DIRE. I have no idea how else to help her than to seek the help of a community who loves her. She is faced with medical bills we cannot fathom. Trevor’s current situation continues to require ER visits, ambulance calls, expensive medicine and tests, and extended hospital stays.
I am Kim’s twin. Call it a twin thing, but I feel every bit of her pain and hopelessness. I feel her anxiety and anxiousness. I feel her sadness. She needs a break. A hand. A sign of hope. She is ready to give up but won’t because of her boys and wonderful husband. I am so worried about her health.
If you can help in the slightest way, please do. 100% of your help and generosity will go toward her boy’s medical expenses and continued care.
She and her husband continue to look for ways to improve their situation, but every time they get close, they suffer a setback in some way. Moving isn't an option because of the restrictions of her divorce and even that requires money. Harassing medical collection calls are never-ending.
This week alone Trevor has landed in the ER in both St Louis and Farmington.
Update 1/23/15 - Tonight Trev is on the way to the ER to be admitted again as his situation is not improving. They know he had Hepatitis A which took a toll on his liver and he is now having other abdominal issues related to that.
Feb2- MRI revealed brain tumor on Trevor's ventricle. They will
Place a shunt to relieve pressure in brain which should reduce the dizzyiness and vomiting and then surgery to remove tumor on 2/4.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please and thank you and many blessings to you for anything that can help this family!
Best,
Korrie Wilhelm - Kim's twin sister and Trevor, Logan and Connor's adoring aunt!
(Oh,and just in case anyone wondered, my sister approved me sharing this story with you)