Please Support Teresa

 

On May 16, 2013, Julia came into the world beautiful, perfect, and needing constant care. At some point in the womb, she experienced a brain injury and was born with spastic and dystonic cerebral palsy and microcephaly. She would never be able to walk, talk, or feed herself and needed round-the-clock care. Teresa fell instantly in love and has devoted the last eight and a half years of her life being Julia’s mother, fierce advocate, and primary caregiver.

 

On January 2, 2022, Julia very suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. Anyone who ever met Julia was immediately smitten with her. She was a bundle of joy, always smiling and laughing, loved music, was hard-working and very brave.

 

Since Julia’s birth, Teresa’s full-time career was Julia. Julia’s brain couldn’t tell her own body how to swallow, relieve her bladder, or even breathe properly, So Teresa learned how to use a feeding tube, clean a catheter, and change a tracheostomy tube. She ushered Julia from doctor’s appointments to physical therapy sessions to “playdates”. And she loved her so very deeply.

 

As a single mom with a special needs child, Teresa found herself in the position of many women; she couldn’t hold a full-time job. Julia's need for care was specialized and constant. As Julia’s full-time caregiver, she relied on child support payments and other benefits to make ends meet.

 

With Julia’s passing, all that income stopped very quickly. Teresa is moving out of her apartment and there are many bills and expenses that need to be paid while she gets back on her feet. She plans to finish medical coding classes that she started and hopes to one day lobby for parents of special needs children. She can do anything. She has the life experience equivalent of a medical degree.

 

Teresa needs our help and support to bridge this gap between her time as Julia’s caregiver and the next stage of her life. Please honor the time Teresa spent caring for Julia by supporting Teresa as she makes this major transition in her life.

 

Thank you.

 

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This fundraiser supports Teresa financially during this incredibly challenging and transitionary time in her life.

 

Teresa and family will be creating a memorial for Julia to be announced at a later date. You may donate to that memorial by sending donations directly to the funeral home at the link below. 

 

You can read Julia’s obituary as well as view her funeral services at the link below.

 

https://gayandciha.com/tribute/details/4342/Julia-Baird/obituary.html#content-start