Support Athena's Battle and Family's Struggle

Hello, my name is Melinda. I had a beautiful angle baby in January of 2024. Her name is Athena, and she is the most beautiful warrior that I've ever met. She was born with a lot of medical issues and is terminally ill. Athena is currently on hospice and is home with her family so we can enjoy the little time we have left with her. She is on a 24/7 monitor so we know when her oxygen and heart rate drop. We have a suction machine so we can clear her air way, since she can't herself. We have supplementary oxygen, for when breathing just becomes too much for her to do, and we can help her get oxygen to her lungs. A nebulizer to give her breathing treatments, a muscle relaxer, so she isn't in pain due to the muscle spasms and overly active muscle tightness. Athena is on a g-tube, since she can't take anything orally. Stomach medications due to reflux and a sensitive digestive system. Her brain is damaged, and sometimes doesn't send signals to her organs to function. She has been fighting for 4 months now. A few times we thought that it was the end, and she was going to leave us. It breaks our hearts to watch her struggle and fight to do what we might think is a simple act, but for her is a battle. I called everywhere and tried to get every service possible for her. Had to make decisions, that I thought I never would have to make in this life time. I looked into getting life insurance for her, knowing that she was going to leave us sooner than we prayed for. However, due to her being terminally ill, they denied. It is morbid, and not something I would want to look into for my children, but the reality is laid out infront of me. I thought that if I got the life insurance, at least I wouldn't have to worry about the financial of the services, cremation, earns, etc. , and just spend my time grieving. I just wanted me and my family to not run around stressing on how to cover those experiences, and just be able to cry and grieve for our baby, but that was shot down by every insurance company I reached out to. I applied for disability benefits for her, because nothing is cheap in the wold. All of her equipment use electricity, so the electric bill has doubled. Her father can't work because he is home fighting to keep her alive and comfortable. I work full time, but I too need to take time off when she is struggling so much. So I leave work, and pray that today is not the day that God takes my little angle away. I cry everyday. I lay in my bed at night wondering if tomorrow is the last. I stare at her for hours, watching her chest move up and down. Everyday is a struggle, watching the bills pile one after another. Her 5 year old brother is a guardian and watches over her with emence love in his eyes, but i know he is scared for her as well. He loves his baby sister, and is the best big brother in the world. Taking care of two kids, one a strong as an ox, and growing like a tree. The other as fragile as glass, and tinny as a newborn mouse. Between the two, the weight of the world is on my shoulders. I called the funeral home, wanting to make sure that everything is in order, however, hearing the price of everything, I just stayed silent and hung up. I can barely even pay the bills to keep a roof over our heads. These are the things that keep me up at night. I don't sleep, just listening for the monitor blaring, jumping up out of bed, running to action. Getting up during weekdays to drag myself to work, staring at my phone praying I don't get a call. As the days go by, and the oxygen depravity continues to eat away at her brain, we slowly watch her fade away. Her doctors are all on the same page. We signed the paperwork for no ventilation or CPR. If Athena goes on ventilation, considering her brain deterioration, and breathing issues, she won't come off and will only drag out the inevitable, making her suffer. Since no ventilation, CPR will just do damage and make her suffer. There is nothing medically that the doctors can do. There is no cure, or magic pill that can make her better. All we can do as her family, is love her. Enjoy every second that we are blessed with her, and pray.