Hi, I'm Marie, and I'm trying to help a lovely family that is burdened by medical debt and terrible stress. Connie and I have been friends since her youngest and my oldest were in kindergarten together - and they are almost 17 now.

Her older child, Elliot, is 19 and has hemophilia. Over the past few years, Elliot has also been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (a connective tissue disorder), Chiari Malformation of the brain (meaning his brain herniates into his spinal cord) - and several other things as well! Many of these conditions require surgery - in fact, multiple surgeries - which are of course complicated by hemophilia. Now Elliot has been diagnosed with gastroparesis, meaning his stomach isn't moving food into his small intestine. A feeding tube has been placed while he recovers from the stomach surgery that will hopefully improve his condition, but the insurance company is denying the Glucerna and feeding supplies, and they had to pay out of pocket.

Plus, their boiler just went. And it's Christmas. And deductibles. And looking at colleges. Mom is out on disability from her job as a nurse due to her own spinal issues, and to care for Elliot, so they are now a one-income family.

God bless this family - if this were a movie, anyone would say it isn't believable, too many things have gone wrong! If you can help in any small way, PLEASE, there isn't a more deserving set of people out there! Their other son, Ben, is an honor roll student and an all-around fabulous kid. These parents are doing it right - but the deck is so stacked that they just need some relief and support.

Thank you for reading all of this!