Paxton Needs Our Help
Donation protected
Seven years ago, my daughter gave birth to an amazing young man named Paxton Eli. Unfortunately, he was born with multiple life threatening medical conditions through no fault of his own. Some of these conditions include Ebstein’s Anomaly (a congenital heart disease), cerebral palsy, Pierre Robin Sequence (a craniofacial malformation), and a severe unidentified seizure disorder. Due to the severity of his neurological status, he is unable to speak, eat, and, walk. As a result, he requires full assistance for all activities of daily living and requires to be fed through a G-tube. Since birth, his prognosis has been poor. Several doctors were not sure he would make it out of the NICU, but once he proved them wrong, they were certain he would never make it to age five. Through determination, the unending care of those who love him, and the grace of God, Paxton is now seven years old! He is a child who continues to beat the odds.
Recently, Paxton required an extensive and invasive hip surgery. Without this surgery, his hips would be completely dislocated and result in him being totally bedridden. As you can imagine, the amount of care required for Paxton is a 24/7 job. He requires round the clock monitoring, medications, and G-tube feedings. Due to his severe and profound disabilities and life threatening medical conditions, he qualifies for twelve hours of nursing support per day, but the nursing agencies have never been able to fulfill the hours. He currently has three nursing agencies who are actively trying to fill the slots, but no one has been successful in doing this for years. Due to the physical demands as well as the intensity of his care, there are not a lot of individuals interested in working with him. Consequently, the pattern of care and longevity of the nurses has been a roller coaster. The nursing care has been short lived with the exception of one loyal nurse who has been with the family for five years. In saying that, the rest of his care is solely dependent on the family, primarily my daughter. She is unable to work because every waking moment is spent to help sustain his life and nurture him with every bit of energy she can provide. At this pace, the family is exhausted beyond comprehension.
At this stage, the only solution is for them to pay out of pocket for in home assistance and help. If Paxton had the possibility of getting an Au Pair, a person trained from another country to live in their household, or to independently hire a private duty nurse then this would help relieve some of the physical and emotional stress they are under while also allowing them to continue to provide for Paxton’s needs just like any parent does.
A qualified Au Pair would be selected according to his/her own personal goals in the medical field, and would live with them receiving a small salary, room, and board. The salary cost is $12,000 per year plus an administration fee of $1,000 to hire such an individual.
If they need to hire a private duty nurse to care for a child with involved medical care such as Paxton, the average salary in the Northern Virginia area is around $26/hour.
Please consider helping this family. Any contribution, large or small, would be greatly appreciated and would be going towards a child in need.
Recently, Paxton required an extensive and invasive hip surgery. Without this surgery, his hips would be completely dislocated and result in him being totally bedridden. As you can imagine, the amount of care required for Paxton is a 24/7 job. He requires round the clock monitoring, medications, and G-tube feedings. Due to his severe and profound disabilities and life threatening medical conditions, he qualifies for twelve hours of nursing support per day, but the nursing agencies have never been able to fulfill the hours. He currently has three nursing agencies who are actively trying to fill the slots, but no one has been successful in doing this for years. Due to the physical demands as well as the intensity of his care, there are not a lot of individuals interested in working with him. Consequently, the pattern of care and longevity of the nurses has been a roller coaster. The nursing care has been short lived with the exception of one loyal nurse who has been with the family for five years. In saying that, the rest of his care is solely dependent on the family, primarily my daughter. She is unable to work because every waking moment is spent to help sustain his life and nurture him with every bit of energy she can provide. At this pace, the family is exhausted beyond comprehension.
At this stage, the only solution is for them to pay out of pocket for in home assistance and help. If Paxton had the possibility of getting an Au Pair, a person trained from another country to live in their household, or to independently hire a private duty nurse then this would help relieve some of the physical and emotional stress they are under while also allowing them to continue to provide for Paxton’s needs just like any parent does.
A qualified Au Pair would be selected according to his/her own personal goals in the medical field, and would live with them receiving a small salary, room, and board. The salary cost is $12,000 per year plus an administration fee of $1,000 to hire such an individual.
If they need to hire a private duty nurse to care for a child with involved medical care such as Paxton, the average salary in the Northern Virginia area is around $26/hour.
Please consider helping this family. Any contribution, large or small, would be greatly appreciated and would be going towards a child in need.
Organizer and beneficiary
Marion Timm
Organizer
Bowmantown, VA
Susanne Padilla
Beneficiary
