Rally around Beth & Mackenzie (Move Mountains for Mackenzie)

When Catherine and Ryan met in high school, they bonded over a love for music. Years later in college, their love grew romantic and in August of 2018 they welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Mackenzie.

In 2019, at just 15 months old, Mackenzie suddenly lost her mother after a sudden illness. Catherine's passing rocked the family and wider community, and friends and family rallied around Ryan and Mackenzie to help them navigate the unthinkable transition. Beth, a longtime friend of Ryan and Catherine, stepped in to help care for Mackenzie and help manage her atypical behavioral patterns that were starting to emerge. Ryan and Beth had been best friends beginning in high school. She had a degree in Early Childhood Education and two children of her own, and became a staple in Mackenzie's life. She even switched jobs in 2020 to a new daycare center so Mackenzie could come with her.

Just 16 months after Catherine's passing, Ryan died as a result of health complications. Beth was surprised to learn she had be named as co-guardian of Mackenzie, alongside Ryan's brother. Together, Beth and Mackenzie's uncle, as well as extended family on both sides, have worked to provide as stable and typical environment as possible in a fully unimaginable situation.

Since the loss of both parents almost four years ago, Mackenzie has received an autism diagnosis and is fully nonverbal, which means she has extensive and unique behaviors and needs that must be attended to for her physical, mental, and emotional health. She has a few fierce and loving caregivers in her life who are committed to giving Mackenzie everything they can. Leading this charge is Beth. With one pre-teen and one teenage daughter, Beth has spent the last four years trying to balance the task of fully supporting Mackenzie while also meeting the needs of her own children, often making major life decisions with Mackenzie as the priority. As any parent of multiple children knows, it often feels impossible to maintain equity and fairness amidst children's competing needs.

The last four years have been a struggle. Like many of us, Beth and her family have been impacted by a difficult economy. She has been working tirelessly to leverage any and all existing government programs to help support Mackenzie and her family. In the midst of these efforts, she continues to face difficult decisions. This spring, Mackenzie finished her first year of school and Beth was unable to find summer care. With her unique behavioral patterns and caregiving needs, Mackenzie needs someone trained in managing the behavior of children with autism and Beth could not find a suitable provider. As as result, Beth was forced to resign from her job in order to stay home with Mackenzie. Like many times before, this decision impacted her entire family. The financial loss of her full-time job over the summer meant her middle-school aged daughter had to give up half of her planned time at summer camp, and bills started to pile-up.

The basic needs of the family are compounded by Mackenzie's unique needs. For example, Mackenzie is particularly entranced with water but has no awareness about associated safety risks or water safety skills. Beth was able to find swim lessons for children with special needs to help ensure Mackenzie's safety, but at a steep price - nearly $400 for each five-week session. This is just one example of the unique challenges and associated costs related to addressing Mackenzie's particular needs.

I connected with Beth at our 20th high school reunion, after just recently hearing about Ryan's passing and coming upon the original GoFundMe that was created at that time. Not even half-funded, I asked her if there was still a need for help, and if I could do anything. After she shared the full picture with me, I knew this was an opportunity to call in the support of the wider community to show up for Beth and Mackenzie in this moment.

As a mother of two, my second-worst nightmare is my children losing both of their parents. If that happened, I know the thing they would need most would be a stable, loving person who would prioritize their wellbeing, and love and care for them fiercely. Despite the enormous losses Mackenzie and her family have experienced, they have found this selfless supportive force in Beth.

The biggest issue facing this family right now is financial. Mackenzie is fortunate to have a group of thoughtful people who understand, and have begun to plan for, the financial help she will need in the future through a trust. However, in the present, there is simply not enough for Beth and her family to make ends meet. She is not alone in this, but she is facing something many of us could and would not take on. Beth, Mackenzie, and their family need the support of the people that they know, and those they don't.

The funds from this account will first go to support back bills, and basic expenses that Beth has struggled to cover since leaving her job to care for Mackenzie this summer. While she plans to go back to a full-time position in the fall of 2024, this is not the first time she has had to make a major life decision with Mackenzie in the forefront and it will not be the last. Beth needs to pay her back bills, be able to take a full breath in knowing she can cover monthly costs until she finds employment, and be able offer Mackenzie and her daughters a bit of normalcy - the ability to go to the waterpark or a museum without worrying about the financial impact, the opportunity for the kids to do extra-curriculars without worrying about the costs of uniforms and transportation, buying her kids a favorite snack or brand of bread, even if the brand isn't covered the supplemental food support. Things that many of us take for granted as part of our "basic needs" but are the first to get cut when there simply isn't enough. We hope to provide a small "buffer" for Beth as she continues to navigate difficulties brought upon by serving in this unexpected and cherished role as a mother to her bonus child.

As we know, it can feel like there is no end of suffering in our world right now, and so much of it feels like it's out of our control. In moments like these, we can transform the feelings of overwhelm into action, taking a simple step of donating what we can to support a family who has already navigated more than their share of loss and challenges. While large chunks of money can seem out-of-reach, if only 50 people gave $500, this goal would be met. Please take a moment, do what you can, and show Beth and her family she is not alone as she offers a complete priceless role in Mackenzie's life.