Support Faith's Fight for More Time with Avery

Hello there! My name is Faith Crouch, it's nice to meet you. I am a 36 year old double lung transplant recipient that has Cystic Fibrosis. I have an 8 year old daughter that is my miracle of miracles.

I was born with Cystic Fibrosis and my life expectancy was 5 years old. My parents were young and were faced with overwhelming odds when asked by doctors if they would give consent for me to have a surgery that, as the doctors put it, was for science's sake. My parents made the brave and very fortunate decision for them to perform this surgery on my intestines. I, by the grace of God, made it through that surgery and so many more since then.

Growing up with Cystic Fibrosis, I knew I was going to need to have a lung transplant due to my disease process. When I was younger and didn't have a family I was not prepared or interested in having a transplant. I was tired of being sick and hurting. Transplanted organs are not guaranteed to work out and I felt like going through all the pain and struggle of a transplant to possibly not have it work was just too much for my soul to handle. Just a few short years after deciding this, I met my husband and we got married; shortly after that, I found out I was pregnant (again). I was so scared because I had lost my babies before but I was also ecstatic because being a Mom was all I ever wanted to do, I just thought it wasn't going to be that way for me. I prayed constantly for me not to lose this baby. God gave me my beautiful baby girl in May 2016! Having Avery changed my entire world, I had a renewed purpose in life. I believe that when you become a parent, your life is not your own anymore; it's your child's life now. I live for her, the only reasons I am still breathing and walking on this Earth is due to God's grace and my daughter. Just after she was born, my doctor's started talking to me about getting a transplant; going through the pregnancy and delivery had taken it's toll on my sick lungs. I knew that when they started talking about it, that I was going to get one, I would never take my life/ daughter's life for granted like that. A girl needs her Momma. When I went in for my first transplant evaluation, the social worker asked me what my goals were for after transplant. My response was that I wanted to be able to see my girl go to Kindergarten and to be able to play tag with her. Here we are almost 5 years later and she is finishing up her 3rd grade year.

Having Cystic Fibrosis (CF) used to mean that one didn't live long enough to have a family but thanks to advancements in modern medicine and to God, we are living well into to our seasoned years. That means that we are able to have careers (sometimes), families and full lives. I have been blessed with a beautiful little girl that has my whole heart and being.

Fast forward to 5 years after transplant and I have had some major medical problems and have been in the hospital for 4 months out of the last 6; the doctors are not quite sure what is wrong with me. I have been falling and having bad headaches that we found out that part of the problem is that I have migraines that run on 72 hour cycles. The pain is horrendous and it makes me not able to see and vomit for days at a time.

The last time I went into the hospital, I was running really high fevers and vomiting and in so much pain that the Emergency Room was giving me IV pain medication and benedryl by IV. These medicines have a pretty severe side effects, I was not exactly 100% present in my mind. My husband and I had a mediation date set for the next day and I felt that I had to do the mediation because it had been put off twice already due to me being so sick and in the hospital. So, I went through with the mediation in the Emergency Room here in Houston at Houston Methodist hospital; lets just say that the mediation did not go as planned, I cannot talk to my daughter except for 4 hours a day. I call Avery almost every day. I used to sing her to sleep over the phone and read to her until she fell asleep, I try to be there for her whenever she needs me, even if I can't be with her physically. I can't do those things anymore because I cannot talk to her after 7:00pm. The mediation also cut my summertime with her by quite a bit and so even though our original agreement was the whole summer.

I am heartbroken over this arrangement and I believe that I should have more access to my girl; I am a sick Mom not a bad Mom, there is a huge difference between the two.

I am raising funds to help pay for a lawyer that will defend me and help me get more access to Avery. I have no money to fight for her; I live off of disability and cannot afford to hire the lawyer and I need my girl, like I need the air to breathe; she is my light and my word. It makes me ill to think about this. If you choose to donate to my cause, you will be helping a mother who is seeking more time and involvement with their baby girl.

I really appreciate you taking the time to read my story and thank you so much for your time and consideration. Have a great day!