When True was a baby, he always had more rashes than other babies his age. He was just 18 months old when he had an anaphylactic reaction from eating half a cashew. Then came eczema, followed by asthma. And so many trips to the ER. Then the testing began. So many allergy tests, so many needle pokes. He caught every cold, which always turned worse. Croup. Pneumonia, Asthma Attacks. We started to see a change in our happy, sunny, active little boy. The constant struggle for a toddler to find safe foods to eat becoming an increasing source of frustration that most adults would be challenged to cope with. He started to withdraw, acting out, and becoming isolated. The list of doctors grew. We added a psychologist, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, neurologists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, even a homeopath. The trips to the doctors were becoming a battle. He didn't want to go to kindergarten anymore because he would gag and throw up after a bite or two of food. We finally got a diagnosis of EoE. Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Food trials means adding a food and then testing for reactions. Endoscopies. Blood draws. Allergy tests. (repeat, and repeat again) He had a feeding tube put in, which was very noticeable. Followed by more tests. We got on a waiting list for Cincinnati Children's Hospital, (CCH). It took 6 months to get an appointment. We met our new Doctor and his amazing team at CCH. The new Doctor took True off all food and inserted a permanent feeding tube. We are grateful it is less visible now. Now we fly from Seattle to Cincinnati every 12 weeks for another endoscopy. Every 12 weeks. home in Seattle and try (and fail) a new food....Fly to Cincinnati to have an endoscopy...and repeat...Every.12.Weeks.
We pay for all travel costs out of pocket, including airfare, hotel, for both True and Corie or Ethan. We have had some success! Using a steroid that heals his esophagus as the illness and food trials progress. He now has 8 safe foods instead of 1! Which means he can eat at school without Mom pulling him from class to feed him via his feeding tube. But all this has taken a toll on our True. He is older now, and understands the reality of what living with EE means. The isolation of the disease. The excitement of trying a new food and the devastation of having his body reject it. Watching everyone around him celebrate life's big and small moments with FOOD and being excluded. Anxiety. Anger. Fear. Depression. He needs a new treatment. He needs one that will start to heal his heart and his soul. The cure? Finding his people. The other kids who know what it is like. Who also have feeding tubes and teams of doctors. Who can't run as hard as they used to because they hurt. Who need bathrooms all the time. Who understand the anger, fear and isolation EE has brought to their childhood. Slush Puppies are a safe food for True, but very hard to find. It's even HARDER to find kids his age with EE. True has won a spot via a lottery, to a weekend camp where he can meet his people. Other kids with EE. For one weekend in May, he has a chance to meet kids like him and become friends! This is potentially the most important treatment he could trial. Because he could meet his tribe! He could make those connections that can start to heal his spirit. Here's the catch: we already budgeted for his surgery in April and we cannot reschedule it. To add an unexpected trip is simply out of our budget. So now, we are trying to be as brave as True is and set aside our pride, and ask for a little help. Help us send him to camp this May. This is the last year he is eligible to attend. For all those times you wanted to help us but didn't know how, here is your chance. Please consider giving a small contribution to send True to Camp CouragEOS. Help True discover he is not alone. That he is not isolated or misunderstood. That it isn't hopeless. Help him create a network of peers that understand what he goes through on a daily basis. That he can forge friendship that he can connect with the rest of his life. Help him find his tribe.

We are so grateful to each and every one of you who has been with us on this journey, and we feel blessed that you are a part of our tribe. Thank you for considering helping our True.

(This GoFundMe has been created by a close family friend that Corie and Ethan have trusted with their story. All donations will go directly to sending True and his family to Camp CouragEOS in May, 2017. They need to buy airfare soon in order to get a better rate.)