Help the Martin family
Donation protected
Paul and Rachel are two of the kindest most generous people you could ever meet. They have a beautiful family with their son Jack and their daughter Ellie. They were blessed with another beautiful daughter, Parker this October. Unfortunately, shortly after her birth Paul and Rachel faced every parent’s worst nightmare. Parker had been home from the hospital for a few days, when one morning Paul and Rachel discovered their baby was having episodes of not breathing and turning blue. After waking her up she began breathing normally. After talking to their doctor, they rushed her to the emergency room in an ambulance. After many weeks of agonizing uncertainty, they were given a terrifying diagnosis of Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome, or CCHS.
The effects of this syndrome are that your brain essentially forgets to breathe while you are sleeping. This terrible disorder is congenital and is present at birth and irreversible. It forces those who have it to be on 24-hour ventilator support for many years and in some cases, their entire life. Paul and Rachel have been at their daughters’ side 24/7 for weeks now. She has been in the PICU since the initial horrifying incident, which is almost her whole life to this point. The prolonged hospital stay and accompanying logistical needs have brought a significant financial burden to the Martin family. But the real challenge is yet to come. They will need nearly round the clock assistance to care for baby Parker, in addition they will have to reduce the hours they work to care for her. This combined with the extensive in-home medical equipment and lifestyle changes they will have to make are a terrifying new reality for them.
If you know Paul and Rachel, then you know that they are incredible people. Paul is a firefighter and Rachel is a nurse practitioner. They both have dedicated their lives to helping others. During this pandemic Paul has been on the frontlines taking care of other people. Meanwhile Rachel has continued caring for her patients. Now in their time of need please help support and care for their family.
It is unclear how long Rachel will need to be out of work, and this money will help ensure she is not forced to return to work prematurely just to pay bills. This disorder is very rare and is a lifelong condition, as a result it is incredibly difficult to anticipate all of the possible financial needs of the Martin family. Money cant fix this problem, but not having enough can definitely make it worse. Our goal is to make sure that money isn't something the Martins have to worry about. Some examples of what the money raised from this GoFundMe will go towards :
-Helping the Martins retrofit their home with the necessary medical equipment including failsafe systems to always have electricity for a ventilator.
-Bills both medical and non medical
-Costs of having skilled nursing support in the home.
-Travel costs should the Martin family need to see specialists for this incredibly rare disorder
-Moving costs should they need to move closer to VCU (specialty center)
-Gap in wages from Rachel missing work
-Additional childcare costs for their other 2 children
-Unforeseen costs that arise from the hospital stay and transition back home
-Other unforeseen costs incurred in the care of baby Parker
Although insurance and Medicare will cover some of these costs, their will be many gaps and many things they will not pay for or reimburse.
Please consider donating to help this family. Any amount is appreciated, and all support is welcome.
Thank you and god bless you for your support and generosity.
*Note of transparency*
This fundraiser was set up by, and is being managed by Brian Martin (Paul's brother) and Peter Younes (friend). Paul and Rachel will be the sole beneficiaries of all funds raised. The intended use of of the funds raised is described above, and will be left to the discretion of the Martin family to use as needed to care for baby Parker. All money raised will be deposited directly into an account to which only Paul and Rachel will have access to.
The effects of this syndrome are that your brain essentially forgets to breathe while you are sleeping. This terrible disorder is congenital and is present at birth and irreversible. It forces those who have it to be on 24-hour ventilator support for many years and in some cases, their entire life. Paul and Rachel have been at their daughters’ side 24/7 for weeks now. She has been in the PICU since the initial horrifying incident, which is almost her whole life to this point. The prolonged hospital stay and accompanying logistical needs have brought a significant financial burden to the Martin family. But the real challenge is yet to come. They will need nearly round the clock assistance to care for baby Parker, in addition they will have to reduce the hours they work to care for her. This combined with the extensive in-home medical equipment and lifestyle changes they will have to make are a terrifying new reality for them.
If you know Paul and Rachel, then you know that they are incredible people. Paul is a firefighter and Rachel is a nurse practitioner. They both have dedicated their lives to helping others. During this pandemic Paul has been on the frontlines taking care of other people. Meanwhile Rachel has continued caring for her patients. Now in their time of need please help support and care for their family.
It is unclear how long Rachel will need to be out of work, and this money will help ensure she is not forced to return to work prematurely just to pay bills. This disorder is very rare and is a lifelong condition, as a result it is incredibly difficult to anticipate all of the possible financial needs of the Martin family. Money cant fix this problem, but not having enough can definitely make it worse. Our goal is to make sure that money isn't something the Martins have to worry about. Some examples of what the money raised from this GoFundMe will go towards :
-Helping the Martins retrofit their home with the necessary medical equipment including failsafe systems to always have electricity for a ventilator.
-Bills both medical and non medical
-Costs of having skilled nursing support in the home.
-Travel costs should the Martin family need to see specialists for this incredibly rare disorder
-Moving costs should they need to move closer to VCU (specialty center)
-Gap in wages from Rachel missing work
-Additional childcare costs for their other 2 children
-Unforeseen costs that arise from the hospital stay and transition back home
-Other unforeseen costs incurred in the care of baby Parker
Although insurance and Medicare will cover some of these costs, their will be many gaps and many things they will not pay for or reimburse.
Please consider donating to help this family. Any amount is appreciated, and all support is welcome.
Thank you and god bless you for your support and generosity.
*Note of transparency*
This fundraiser was set up by, and is being managed by Brian Martin (Paul's brother) and Peter Younes (friend). Paul and Rachel will be the sole beneficiaries of all funds raised. The intended use of of the funds raised is described above, and will be left to the discretion of the Martin family to use as needed to care for baby Parker. All money raised will be deposited directly into an account to which only Paul and Rachel will have access to.
Co-organizers (2)
Peter Younes
Organizer
Richmond, VA
Paul Martin
Beneficiary
Brian Martin
Co-organizer