Support the Fosters

If you have been blessed to know the Foster Family, then you have likely experienced their genuine heart and loving spirit. They are the definition of modest and they embody the typical middle class family. Tracy and Charlie will never ask for help but instead consistently offer it to others. They do not ask for anything in return and they love unconditionally.

Over the past 6 years as they have begun to grow their family, they have had anything but a typical 'easy' time, but you would never know that. After the birth of their 1st child, Max, dreams of having a 2nd/3rd/4th etc were not too far behind. Years passed and the trials that presented were anything but pleasant. Desperate to grow their family the fertility treatments began....and progressed....and continued. No baby. Frustrated and confused, with at least 4 years having gone by, they finally got answers. Part of the placenta from Max's birth was 'left inside' of Tracy, and because it wasn't removed properly, scar tissue was formed on top of scar tissue. She was unable to have a baby because of a medical mistake and this mistake wasn't revealed until thousands of dollars were spent trying to do fertility tests and treatments. Finally having answers, the correct procedure was done, scar tissue was removed and along came sweet Kate. After a complicated pregnancy, Kate had to be induced due to low birth weight because she was not getting enough nutrients through the placenta at 37 weeks. Despite much concern about her health throughout the pregnancy and in the beginning of her life, Kate has thrived and just celebrated her 1st birthday on April 18th.

Growing the family with Kate just wasn't enough, and a tad earlier than planned, along came baby #3! Kate was barely 3 months old when news came, and Charlie and Tracy embraced this blessing and were so excited. They had made the decision for Tracy to take a leave of absence from her job as a teacher in order to focus on the family they wanted so badly. It was a good thing she had, because again, this pregnancy was anything but 'normal' for poor Tracy. She found out around 20 weeks that her placenta had grown over the birth canal. This is a VERY risky situation, and she was told that she would be on bed rest and deliver a pre-term baby no matter what. It was unknown if/when that would happen, but when it did, she had under 7 minutes to get to the hospital before a potential life threatening circumstance for her and baby. This happened at 27 weeks and Charlie raced her to the hospital in under 5 minutes. Labor was stopped and Tracy was left on strict bedrest in the hospital for 4+ weeks. Baby Lucille Grace arrived on Wednesday, March 25th at just 30 weeks.  She weighed 3 pounds, 4 ounces.  Tracy stayed about a week longer and Lucy's NICU stay was about 6 weeks. After being discharged from the hospital, Tracy's medical journey was unfortunately not complete. In addition to a hard recovery, being unable to lift Kate or drive, she became incredibly ill and was diagnosed with shingles (of all things)! She couldn't even go see her new baby who needed her :-( With that under control, Max got sick, Kate got sick, Charlie got sick AND they lost their family dog (their 1st baby, Zoe) to lung cancer. All recovered, word came that it was time for Lucy to be cleared from the hospital. They were overjoyed to finally be one cohesive unit! Tracy was to go and spend 2 nights in the hospital (again) but this time to transition Lucy from NICU to home care. Tracy got there, and was hit hard with the flu. Shocked and in dismay, she was sent home to recover and Lucy's arrival home was yet again delayed.

Throughout it all, Charlie has learned to be a single parent, Tracy has felt the instability that no one should ever have to feel when starting a new family and Max and Kate have done the best they can to keep up with it all. Tracy's mom graciously gave up countless hours of her time to care for Max and Kate and help keep things up around the house allowing Charlie to keep doing the best he can with work and the kids. They are a 1 income family with 2 homes and 3 small children. Medical bills have mounted and Charlie's time off work is hard to come by.

In addition to the trials they have faced, there are many more and I'm sure some they have not even named to me. They lost their Cat of 16 years (Pele) last fall, Charlie's mom Rose is experiencing personal and medical difficulty (of which Charlie is also trying to help with consistently) they are down to one car (have borrowed a 2nd from Tracy's parents) and their rental house has needed much repair (and currently they need to find new renters which could soon mean 2 mortgage payments until they fill the space).

This is a ton for a new family to endure yet they remain positive as much as possible. Medical bills are mounting, mortgage is due, gas money is needed, medications are necessary, and there are 3 young mouths to feed each day. Your gift to them will help in so many ways, big or small, they will appreciate it more than you can ever imagine.

Please give if you are able, share this campaign and support them with your love. There is a long road ahead for the Fosters and I'd love to see them thrive in the near future rather than struggle with bills and suffer from continued stress.

Thank you for taking the time to learn their story, now let's work like crazy to help them out!