Hi everyone,

Some of you may know us, and some may not. We’re the Drumhellers—Matt, Katie, and our daughter Scarlet. I'm Matt (the one writing this), a former police officer of nearly nine years who left the profession in 2024 to pursue a healthier work-life balance. Katie is my amazing wife and the full-time caretaker of our beautiful 4-year-old daughter, Scarlet.

Scarlet is our entire world. In her short but incredible life, she has already faced more medical challenges than most people see in a lifetime. She was born premature with several holes in her tiny heart. Due to complications and a failed medical procedure, her heart surgery was rushed and performed on just her third day of life. Thankfully, the procedure went well, and she’s since outgrown thriving with her perfect little heart.

But her journey didn’t stop there.

Over the past few years, Scarlet has battled through a long list of health issues: a feeding tube for over two years, spinal concerns, kidney troubles, fluid in her skull, and more. She’s been in and out of doctors’ offices for most of her life. But she’s a fighter. Every challenge she’s faced, she’s overcome with strength and a smile—true to her Scarlet spirit.

By the end of 2023, things finally felt “normal” for the first time. 2024 was a breath of fresh air for our family. We thought we had made it through the worst of it.

Then came 2025.

This year has been one of the hardest yet. Scarlet has been hit with a string of terrifying and unexplained medical emergencies that have completely shaken our world.

In January, while we were traveling out of state, Scarlet experienced sudden, severe abdominal pain. She was hospitalized, then life-flighted due to the seriousness of her condition. Doctors discovered that her stomach had perforated—an extremely rare and life-threatening event. They performed emergency surgery, but couldn’t determine what caused it. After nearly two months of recovery, things seemed to calm down.

But in May, Scarlet had another frightening stomach/GI episode and was rushed to the ER again. Once more, no clear diagnosis was made. Then, just two weeks later in early June, it happened again. This time, she was life-flighted to Seattle for better care and more testing. Sadly, we docs still could not explain what was going on. Scarlet was discharged and since, we have been starting up even more follow up to try and get to the bottom of it all to make sure Scarlet has a healthy life, free of more emergencies.

We are still in the thick of it—working with specialists, traveling to appointments, and searching for the root cause of these episodes. It's emotionally exhausting and physically draining for all of us (mostly for the fighter herself, Miss Scarlet).

As Scarlet’s dad and caregiver, I’ve had to cut back significantly on work so I can be there for her at every appointment and every emergency. But with the added strain of medical travel, two life flights (the out of state one not being covered), and mounting uncovered expenses, we’re now facing a serious financial burden on top of everything else.

It’s not easy to ask for help, but right now, we truly need it.

Any contribution—no matter how small—will go directly toward Scarlet’s medical bills, ongoing care/future bills, travel for treatment, and helping our family make it through this incredibly hard time. If you’re not in a position to donate, simply sharing this means the world to us.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for keeping Scarlet in your thoughts and prayers. We are beyond grateful for your support. We will keep everyone updated through social media, as time permits, on any develops to Scarlet's health journey.

With love and thanks,

The Drumheller's