Thank you for taking the time to read about our story. May God bless you.

It has been a long, complex journey, so I'll start at the beginning. My husband and I were stationed in Oklahoma when I got pregnant and had our son, Liam, in 2022. Very shortly after he was born, we started noticing something wasn't right with his digestion and sleep. Oklahoma rural health care did not support our breastfeeding journey as well as we hoped it would. Despite attempted lip and tongue tie corrections, Liam was still unable to latch, so I started pumping for him (14 months total). We also had to supplement with formula throughout the process because I couldn't make enough milk to keep up with what he needed. About two months after he was born, we had failed many supplemental formulas, finally landing on one that seemed to be okay. Anything else caused blood and extreme pain. Even my breast milk caused blood and hurt him until, at one point, I was eating rice, peanut butter, bread, raspberries, tomatoes, and olive oil in an attempt to make milk that would be okay for his belly. This was not sustainable, however, and so we began to explore other options and possible reasons as to why he couldn't tolerate anything through my milk. We trialed some purées at 6 months and failed them. Anything he ate would cause extreme pain, bloating, disrupted sleep, and sometimes blood. We saw several pediatricians who couldn't give us any answers. His diapers were horrible. He had very green acidic diarrhea for the first 12 months of his life.

Around the time he was 6 months old, I began researching his symptoms and discovered mold to be a possible cause of his issues. Sure enough, after investigating, we found disastrous amounts of black mold in his nursery wall and the HVAC system where the water heater had been leaking for a long time. We performed an ERMI test and also had an independent mold specialist come test our home. Both reports confirmed toxic mold.

Despite attempts and complaints to military housing to correct the issue, we were dismissed and ignored. They eventually came and "fixed" the issue without performing any containment procedures. We begged them not to do this until we were able to move out, but they ordered us to leave the house for two days so they could fix it. When we came back home, visible chunks of black mold were all over everything because they hadn't practiced proper containment and the HVAC system had blown it through our house.

We moved out approximately 1-2 weeks later and got rid of everything that couldn't be disinfected. Liam was about 9 months old at this time and was not getting better. The last two weeks in that house, he was the worst he has ever been, which made us think the mold was a serious possible root cause.

At this time, my husband filed for an emergency military separation due to familial hardship which, thank you God, was granted. We moved back to our hometown to be closer to family and better medical care.

Around the same time as all of this, I was continuing to do research into healing from mold and addressing other root causes. We began a treatment protocol after lots of nutritional testing told us Liam had several deficiencies, exacerbated by his inability to digest and absorb food. After 3 months or so, we noticed some improvement. Liam was able to eat meat, eggs, and a few vegetables. Anything else would cause severe pain and poor sleep. Since we have been back home, we have started seeing a highly regarded functional medicine doctor. We currently await results for the next steps to treat Liam. It is likely that mold was one of the main causes of his issues. But his inability to digest has caused other problems related to his inability to absorb all the nutrients he needs. A complex cascade of potential issues needs to be addressed. We are hopeful for more answers soon and pray every day for healing to come and restore him to the child we know he is destined to be.

We love him more than anything. He's so smart, so funny, so curious and fun. His language is amazing. He inspires me every day with his strength and compassion. He is doing so well despite the obstacles he's had to overcome. I know this is only part of our story and that the clouds will eventually part, but right now — it's just really, really hard.

Now to the reason we humbly ask for any financial help —

Our insurance does not cover the hypoallergenic formula Liam needs. We have appealed several times and they continue to deny our requests. We all had a nasty case of the stomach flu in December of 2023, and my milk completely dried up. So we are now reliant on his formula to feed him as that makes up a large amount of the calories he eats. This approximates to around $500 a month.

Additionally, we have around $800 in medical bills for his regular pediatrician and allergist, and $3,000 in bills for his new functional medicine doctor. This amount will increase as we continue treatment for him. Insurance doesn't accept functional medicine bills (hopefully one day), so for now everything is out of pocket. For the sake of his health, we can't afford to stop treatment by his new doctor. But we are also struggling to make ends meet because of the financial burden this has put on us.

I hope I've included the most important details for you all. It has been a very hard two years and it is so hard seeing our child in pain almost constantly. We just want him to be able to eat, grow, and thrive. Things a normal kid should be able to do. Due to the mold and all of the medical expenses from testing, we have lost around $40,000 in the past two years. We are now pretty much tapped and need to be able to continue seeing his functional medicine doctor because right now it's the best chance for him to get well.

Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for reading this. We understand money is tight for everyone right now. Even sharing and passing our story along would be so helpful. Thank you.

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

-Isaiah 40:29