Our family is facing one of the toughest challenges we’ve ever known. My son Arie, who is a twin, contracted RSV from his sister after she was exposed at school. What started as a simple illness quickly became a severe case of pneumonia, and Arie is now hospitalized several towns away from our home. His twin and all of his siblings miss him dearly, and our family has been turned upside down as we try to support Arie through this fight.

Arie’s hospital stay was supposed to last three weeks, but complications have made it much longer. He now has a tract (bronchopleural fistula (BPF)) his lung that is leaking air, making his recovery even more difficult. He has undergone two surgeries one to place a tube in his rib cage to drain fluid and the other to place a tube in his vein in order to receive nutrients (he is not allowed to eat or drink due to the tube in his nose that pumps medicine to reduce swelling) My husband and I have been switching off every two days—one of us stays at the hospital with Arie, while the other cares for our five other children, four of whom are in school and one who stays at home. My husband has used up his vacation days at work, and the constant travel and need for childcare have put a huge strain on our finances.

We are reaching out for help to cover our bills, pay for gas to travel back and forth to the hospital, and afford babysitters so our other children are cared for. Any support you can offer means the world to us. We are deeply grateful for your kindness and ask for your prayers as Arie faces this long and unexpected battle for his survival. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for standing with our family during this time..