On June 6, 2025, my daughter Tamara, the daughter of my late husband Tim and residing in Carthage, Missouri, called to inform me that Maddox had a persistent cough and was being taken to the hospital. Within two days, he was transferred to Children’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.

Maddox’s condition rapidly deteriorated from the initial cough into bronchitis, followed by double pneumonia, septicemia, and ultimately meningitis, which has caused most of his complications. He turned one year old shortly after he was admitted to the hospital. While his twin sister was at home, learning to walk and starting to talk, Maddox has now been in the hospital for six months.

He underwent brain surgery to alleviate the swelling in his brain. He has experienced numerous seizures, requiring an open-heart surgery to replace damaged valves caused by the meningitis and seizures. Additionally, he underwent another surgery to drain fluid buildup around his heart, which had accumulated and was interfering with his heart rate and breathing. His mother is Tamara, and his father(Fiancé) is Tanner. Together, they have five children: Gracie, Harper, Maverick, Blakely, and Maddox.

Tamara has been at the hospital every day for six months, never leaving. She has only seen her children once or twice, and Tanner has visited her a handful of times. The hospital is over two hours away from their home, and most weekends, they either lack the gas money or encounter vehicle issues. The physical, psychological, and financial burdens have been compounded by the events that occurred before June. Tamara has had recurring illnesses in her family, and each of her children except for Gracie has been hospitalized at different times, causing interruptions in work and paychecks. However, the most devastating incident was Tanner’s esophageal tear, which kept him out of work for approximately four months. Prior to Maddox’s hospitalization, the financial strain was already significant. Now, with Tamara having to stay at the hospital full-time, they are relying solely on one income, and the family has become homeless, living in someone’s basement. The financial devastation is immense.