Help the Balius Family Get Katherine Treatment

Hi, my name is Erin. I’m a friend of Barbara Balius, and her family needs your help.

Barbara and her husband Alan are desperate to help their daughter, Katherine. Katherine is 16 years old and has a mood disorder that drastically affects the way she lives. The last few years, the family has been in turmoil as Katherine has suffered crisis after crisis. Mood disorders can be much more severe than most people realize, even resulting in physical harm to herself and those around her. Unfortunately, it can’t simply be fixed with behavior modification. Katherine’s mood disorder is a lifelong critical illness that she must learn to live with and manage the best she can.

This is where we need your help.

Katherine has been to the hospital fifteen times for short term stabilization. It is time to do something different! Katherine needs to learn the skills necessary to recognize her triggers and to learn strategies to create positive change when the results of her mood changes don’t have great outcomes.

This fundraiser is to enable Katherine to travel to and participate in a Residential Treatment Center that specializes in these types of mood disorders. Insurance and savings will pay for most of the cost, but the family still needs to find a way to pay the difference; in addition, they will incur traveling expenses since the treatment center is out of state.

The last few years have brought a ton of worry and sadness for Barbara, Alan, and Katie. I’d love to help them breathe a little easier and focus on getting Katherine the support she needs.