The Epstein Family Needs Our Help!

Rebekah Epstein is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Joshua Epstein.

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Hello! My name is Bekah, and I am fundraising for an incredibly special family! My brother, Josh, and sister (in-law), Karen, have been experiencing hard times recently while working tirelessly to keep their family together and healthy- and I am asking folks to pitch in so we can make this dream a reality.

Josh and Karen have been foster parents to the most amazing little one in the world for over 3 years now. We have had Ducky since he was just a wee little thing, and he has become the best and most important thing in all of our lives. If you've met him, you understand why!

In the coming year, Josh and Karen are planning to adopt Ducky into our family officially! This is a long, difficult, and expensive process that will ultimately save our baby Duck from a devastating fate by keeping him with the only family he has ever known. For legal reasons, we cannot currently show his face in pictures, so you will need to take my word for it that he is the cutest, smartest, kindest, funniest, and most adventurous kiddo in the whole wide world! His presence in our family has changed all of our hearts and opened us up to a love we never thought possible. This is a very special kid, and he deserves the very best that life can provide. One of the core areas for which your donations will be used is to cover adoption fees, lawyer fees and a myriad of other costs associated with this process.

Many people don't know this, but the foster system is incredibly difficult to navigate, and many kids end up in homes that are no safer or more stable than the ones from which they have been rescued. In addition, families who take in foster children get an astonishing low stipend. Think under $75 a month to care for a toddler. As you can imagine, this is not nearly enough- not by a long shot. So, families like this who adore their foster children and raise them as their own inevitably have an onslaught of financial burden attached to this process. And believe me, Ducky never has and never will go without anything he wants or needs- whether it's medical fees, food, clothing, cost of living, a new toy, dance classes, daycare or anything else his sweet little heart desires. As I am sure you can imagine, any donation would greatly help in this effort as well.

Now, if that wasn't enough to tug at your heart strings, there is much more to the story.

Josh and Karen have become known in the foster care system as the dream family- the kind of family you want every single child to have- even if only temporarily. Ducky is their third foster child, and just today they welcomed baby number four (Sweet Baby Bug) into the household. Baby Bug was born just a few days ago with many health issues for which he was hospitalized. While his permanent family details are solidified, he will be a part of our family! While there is much excitement surrounding his arrival, there are also an enormous amount of financial obligations that come along with it. Remember that teeny tiny amount of money I mentioned earlier? Now imagine having to buy enough formula and diapers for a whole month with that amount. It's not possible, and really just scratches the surface of what he requires and deserves.

Josh and Karen have these enormous hearts (as you are starting to see), and they have never turned away a child, adult, or animal in need- regardless of the financial stress involved. Your donations will help them continue in this lifelong pursuit of helping those who have the most need.

You didn't think that was ALL, did you? Not with these two! When I said there was much more, I meant it!

As fits their character, Josh and Karen also rescued two beautiful, sweet pit bulls- Nina and Teddy. Both of these sweet babies were in desperate need of a loving, safe, healthy, and comfortable home- and boy did they find it! Unfortunately, after less than two years in the family both Nina and Teddy have been diagnosed with cancer. Poor Teddy underwent a leg amputation about a month ago that was supposed to save his life, but during the procedure the doctor noticed that he has an incurable and aggressive cancer throughout his whole body. Josh and Karen (of course) rose to the the challenge, even selling anything they could find (including lifelong treasures and collections) in order to give Teddy the best life he can have for the short time he will be with us. Between multiple surgeries, medications, hospital stays, specialized gear, weekly scans to check the advancement of the cancer, special food, and anything else he needs, the financial burden is heavy to say the least. All of this while they continue to pay to treat (and hopefully save) Nina from her cancer diagnosis.

As you can imagine, Josh has had to take many days off of work in order to care for the kids and dogs. Please help me take some of this burden from off of their shoulders.

I am hoping that you will join me in showing your support for this incredible family so that they can continue to do this important and insanely difficult work. Your donations will help pay for adoption fees, formula, diapers, healthy food, medications, surgeries, medical testing, and so much more. Please help us keep this family whole, safe, healthy and protected. People like Josh and Karen, who do the hard work, deserve our respect and support in whatever way we can provide it.

Thank you so much for your time and your support of this incredible, growing family!

-Bekah-