Support Hollis's Fight Against Multiple Illnesses

Help Hollis Fight for His Life — Support a Brave 10-Year-Old Warrior

Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a mother of five, reaching out with a heart full of love, fear, and hope. My youngest son, Hollis, is only 10 years old, but he is facing a battle that most adults couldn’t even imagine. I am humbly asking for help during this time of medical crisis, as Hollis’s complex health needs have completely changed our lives.

What Hollis Is Fighting:

Hollis was diagnosed with a brain tumor (craniopharyngioma), which led to the loss of his entire pituitary gland. This means he now lives with panhypopituitarism — a rare and life-threatening condition requiring daily hormone replacements, including hydrocortisone and growth hormone injections. During any illness or fever, Hollis’s life depends on emergency stress dosing of steroids to prevent an adrenal crisis.

Recent imaging revealed two brain aneurysms, which put him at constant risk for serious brain bleeds or stroke.

Liver, Heart, and More

Hollis is also battling chronic liver disease, under the care of a liver transplant team. He has elevated risk of heart attack, and his liver infection history (from two hepatitis viruses) makes it harder for his body to recover. He also has a heart murmur, bradycardia, tachycardia, and now brain-related balance and seizure-like episodes.

Chronic Pain and Emotional Strain

Hollis has AMPS (Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome), a condition where the body’s nerves and brain process pain abnormally — leading to severe pain from things that shouldn’t hurt. On top of this, he battles depression, anxiety, and emotional breakdowns, worsened by everything he has been through and the physical pain he experiences daily.

Despite everything, Hollis is still just a little boy — and says he just wants to feel safe, loved, and “like other kids.”

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Why We Need Help

I am his full-time caregiver and a work full time in the medical field but I had to go on family sick leave from January to April 2025. Since returning, I’ve struggled to secure enough work hours, and I need to maintain at least 30-40hours/week to provide for our family. Our financial situation is stretched thin with:

• Constant doctor visits (endocrinology, liver, neurology, PT, therapy, etc.)

• Travel to specialty hospitals

• Daily medications, hormone injections, and medical supplies

• Emotional support services

• Limited support at home

Hollis has two aides during the week, and therapy sessions that require my presence. I am trying to juggle everything — emotionally, physically, and financially — while being the mother all five of my children need.

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How You Can Help

Any contribution, no matter how small, will go toward:

• Medical expenses not covered by insurance

• Nutritional support for his picky, heart- and liver-safe diet

• Help with utilities, and child care so I can focus on Hollis

• Emergency needs during hospitalizations or stress-dose events

If you’re unable to give, please consider sharing Hollis’s story. Every bit of kindness means the world to our family.

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From a Mother’s Heart

Watching your child cry in pain, begging for relief, and asking if he’s going to die is something no parent should experience. But this is our daily reality. I am fighting with everything I have — but I can’t do it alone anymore.

Thank you for reading, thank you for caring, and thank you for keeping Hollis in your heart.

With love and gratitude,

Sarah Horta & Family