Hi everyone,

This is not something I ever imagined writing, but we need help.

Through the years, we have been overwhelmed with the love and support as we’ve cared for our son Mason. Never in a million years did I think I would be writing a GoFundMe for Stella—my dancing queen, my rainbow baby… how can this be?

Stella has a heart of gold. She is the sweetest sister, an incredible daughter, the best auntie and her passion is dance. Just at the beginning of March, we were watching her tap her solo—confident, back to feeling strong, and doing what she loves most.

Today, we are on day 18 of her unable ro walk.

To go from the stage to this in a matter of weeks has been devastating. She’s had to step away from dance and instead watches her teammates compete online. She can’t make it to the ice cream shop she loves so much (they’ve graciously kept her on the team, and we are so thankful, because I don’t think her mental health could take one more loss). School has been impacted to the point where she will likely fall a year behind.

Since last August, we have been in and out of hospitals—multiple ER visits, ambulance rides, and specialist appointments. We made a trip to the Mayo Clinic in February searching for answers. In March alone, Stella has had four ER visits and one hospital admission.

We just left our most recent visit at Children’s Hospital of San Antonio after extensive testing—MRIs, X-rays, bone density scans, blood work, and more blood work—all coming back “normal.” But “normal tests” don’t mean she is ok. We were told, “we can’t treat her here.”

She has now been given a clinical diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Small Fiber Neuropathy.

She is in real, constant pain—throughout her body: feet, knees, thighs, even her chest. We’ve had to move her into her brother Mason’s wheelchair-accessible room and add a bedside toilet chair. She is a shell of the girl who was dancing her heart out just one month ago.

And as a parent, there is nothing harder than watching your child suffer and not being able to fix it.

Our next steps are to pursue Oxygen Regenerative Therapy (which is entirely out of pocket) and to get her into a specialized pediatric pain program—either at Children’s Health in Dallas or the clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston—whichever can see her first.

We are also beginning the process of qualifying her for a medical service dog. Based on her condition, a trained service dog could help with:

* Stability and mobility support

* Retrieving items when she cannot move safely

* Assisting during pain episodes and anxiety attacks

The cost of care is overwhelming. We are already over $20,000 in medical bills for just Stella alone and it continues to grow with each visit, test, and treatment.

This feels like déjà vu for our family. We’ve been given a journey to walk with both of our children, and the toll—mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially—has hit us hard.

I’m not embarrassed to say this: we need help.

Funds raised will go toward:

* Existing and ongoing medical bills

* Oxygen Regenerative Therapy (out of pocket)

* Travel and care for specialized treatment programs

* The cost of obtaining and training a service dog for Stella

If you feel led to support, whether by donating or simply sharing our story, we are deeply grateful for the “joy drop”.

More than anything, we just want our daughter to feel safe in her body again—and to find her way back to the life she loves.

Thank you for loving Stella and our family.