IAEP Local 20 and IAFF Local 2623 are coming together to raise funds to support one of their own: Debbie Keefe, an Empress Dispatcher and IAEP Local 20 member, her husband Ryan Keefe, a Fire Captain at the Fairview Fire District, and their 4-year-old daughter Libby.

Libby is a bubbly, happy, resilient little girls who loves animals, music, and outdoor activities. Libby has hydrocephalus caused by aqueductal stenosis. Up until April, her condition was being managed, and she was doing very well and exceeding expectations. Then her shunt stopped working after it was clogged by blood, leading to three weeks with an external drain and the beginning of seven months of complications. When the family tried to transfer her care closer to home, it became clear that Libby's brain anatomy was too complex for local higher-level hospitals, so they returned to Boston Children's Hospital in Massachusetts, where Libby has undergone most of her care throughout her diagnosis.

There, doctors found that the blood was not coming from an active bleed, but from an existing subdural fluid space on the right side of Libby's brain. They located a channel from a past surgery that allowed that fluid to enter her ventricles, causing the shunt to clog and fail. The only way to address it was a craniotomy. On 10/6, Libby underwent her 9th brain surgery in 7 months. Since then, things have not gone as planned, and she was moved to the ICU because of changes in her mental state, movement in her left-sided extremities, and increasing lethargy. She has also been experiencing agitation and frustration and needs both of her parents at her bedside at all times.

On top of the significant emotional strain all of this has caused them, it has also created an ongoing financial strain for the family. Traveling from Poughkeepsie, NY to Boston, MA is about 3.5 hours each way, making it impossible to commute back and forth while keeping up with work. After the past seven months of repeated hospitalizations, most of their paid family leave has already been used. Support from this fundraiser will help cover continued travel, lost income from missed work, and the ongoing care Libby will need during a longer hospital stay, follow-up appointments, and around-the-clock care once she returns home.

Recurring donations would provide especially meaningful support as these needs continue over time, but one-time donations and shares are just as appreciated. Every contribution will help ease the pressure on Debbie, Ryan, and Libby so they can focus on Libby and the care she needs right now. Thank you for standing with them during this incredibly difficult time.