Reya's Trip to CHOP

 

Help the Ottogalli Family navigate Reya's Congenital Hyperinsulinism

 

Just eight weeks ago, Lauren and Chris faced one of the toughest challenges of their lives. Their precious 5-month-old Reya was unable to regulate her sugars. She has had seizures, multiple hospital stays, genetic testing, and more needles than most adults have ever needed. All of this led to the diagnosis of Congenital Hyperinsulinism from a rare genetic disorder that requires a lot more care. Only 1 in 50,000 babies are affected by this disorder, which causes excess insulin and dangerously low blood sugar. If you’d like to read more about Congenital Hyperinsulinism, you can do that here: https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/congenital-hyperinsulinism

 

Reya will be taking her first flight from Southwest Florida later this week, as she’s transferred to CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). CHOP is one of the only facilities in the world equipped to treat the difficulties of congenital hyperinsulinism. As you can imagine, this situation is highly stressful for the Ottogalli family. On top of the worries over Reya’s health, they have to navigate travel, COVID restrictions, loss of income, and being separated as a family. Lauren will be making the trip with Reya and thus missing 6+ weeks of work unpaid. Please consider donating and sharing to help offset these expenses for them.

 

WAYS YOU CAN HELP:

 

1. DONATE: Please take a moment to donate. Every donation helps. Not only will Lauren have significant loss of income, we expect that they will quickly hit their out-of-pocket maximum and deductible, which is very high. We are trying to raise $25,000 to help offset those expenses ($20,000 in medical expenses and $5,000 in lost wages). There is no donation too small. All funds will go directly to Lauren, Chris, and their children.

 

2. GIFT IN HONOR: Donate in someone else’s name! Is your birthday coming up? Ask friends and family to donate to help Lauren’s family reach their goal.

 

3. SOCIAL MEDIA: If you participate in social media, please share this fundraiser on your personal page or email it to friends and family. If each of Lauren’s followers donated just a few dollars, we would meet our goal.

 

Every step you take will help the Ottogalli Family to get Reya the help she needs. We appreciate your generosity and kindness while the family goes through this difficult time.

 

Note from the organizer: I’m Lauren’s sister Sara Spock Carlson. All donations will be given directly to Lauren and Chris Ottogalli to support their family and pay for medical expenses. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns to minimize requests on Lauren and Chris while focusing on the health and wellbeing of both of their beautiful kids.