Hello and thank you in advance for reading. I have created this page for my niece. My little sister, Carolyn, has a daughter, Carmen. Carmen has cerebral palsy. On November 4th she is about to embark on an extremely tough journey and it is something that will not only take a toll on her body but on their family unit as a whole. Due to her disability, she has had issues with her spine as she has grown and now requires a very very serious spinal surgery called a Posterior Spinal Fusion. This is a 6 hour surgery with a hospital recovery time of one week and an at home recovery time of 6-8 weeks. My goal is to take one worry off of her parents plate while they focus on her recovery and healing. I am hoping to raise $10,000 so that while my sister has to be off work for more than 6 to 8 weeks caring for my niece around the clock, she does not have to worry about their meals while at the hospital, monthly expenses, and any other equipment they will need to care for her post operation. While this won't cover everything, this will help.

Just a little background on my sister and her family. My little sister is the type of person that is extremely private and her focus has always been on her children and being literally a super mom. Not even those close to her really understand the gravity that this journey with Carmen has taken her on. Then there is Carmen's father, my brother-in-law Willie. Extremely dedicated, extremely hard working father to my niece and nephews. He is always been totally devoted to his family and making sure that they don't ever need or want for anything and I'm forever grateful to have him as a brother-in-law. Carmen also has two brothers, the twins. Wiltavious(Tay) and Xavious(Zay). Two boys who love their little sister and will literally do anything on a daily basis to make sure that she is good and have everything that she needs. (They have been wrapped around her little finger since day one) There are some that are reading this and know this whole family unit and exactly how they operate and how beautiful they are together. It has always been Willie and Carolyn's goal as parents to not only shower their children with pure love but they also teach them how to love and help and be there for others. From taking the kids on their yearly family vacations to also teaching their children what you can obtain by working hard and being a genuinely good person, they are the blueprint to Parenthood. As for Carmen, due to her other disabilities, she will not understand what is happening. We as a family will have to do more to help her understand the changes that will come.

As Carmen's aunt, I literally feel helpless. My only niece is about to have her body put through such stress that it breaks me to think about it. Since hearing about the operation I have not had a moment where I have not cried my eyes out just thinking about the toll it is going to take on her body and her physical mobility that she currently has and how it's going to make it even harder for her to regain or maintain that mobility. It pains me to think about what it is going to do to her emotionally. The happiest of happy girls, my lady bug. Then there is my sister, my first best friend and my vault. The best person I know, truly. My brother in law who has the weight of the world on his back and has always been cool with carrying it but I don't want him to have to do this right now. He should be able to be by his daughter’s side right now without having to worry about anything else. And the boys, in college and starting their adult lives.

This is the only thing that I can think of that I can do to help them so if you know Carolyn, or Carmen, or Willie or my boys, please please help me help them. I would be so grateful. Thank you.