Help a Family and be Entered to Win a Mini Session.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND BE ENTERED TO WIN A FREE MINI SESSION!
Imagine the unthinkable. Your perfect-in-every-way beautiful baby boy has complications that doctors can’t quite put a finger on. One day (New Years Eve, to be exact), your baby’s lips turn blue. In a panic, you rush your baby to the hospital and a couple of days later find out that he has been having several dozen seizures … an hour. With no real answers you find yourself spending more and more time at the hospital while he battles unexplained complications as well as pneumonia and RSV. He ends up with a trach to breath, a g-tube to eat … the world is spinning. Days, weeks and months are spent at the hospital.
This is real and this happened to my step-sister, her husband and their baby boy Quinlan. Q was ultimately diagnosed with a BRAT1 mutation and only lived for two and a half years. His impact continues to be felt by not only his family and friends, but the scientific community as well.
Quinlan’s very first EEG at Boston Children’s Hospital.
For a big portion of Quinlan’s life, the ICU at Boston Children’s Hospital was a second home for both he and his parents. Many of us will never have to spend hours and days sitting inside of a hospital, burning gas driving back and forth from home, choosing between the hospital cafeteria and nearby restaurants for meals. But for many families, this is a reality.
My step-sister writes about their journey and her blog can be found here: The Quintessential Abnormal Life. Here is a link to the blog post she wrote specifically about this fundraiser.
The Hidden Costs of an ICU Stay + Why We’re Raising Money
It costs $10 a day to park at Boston Children’s Hospital for one car (some days require two cars). My step-sister estimates they spent over 100 days in the ICU at Children’s. In total they spent over $3,000 just on parking alone when Quinlan was inpatient. There were, of course, dozens of other appointments when Q was an outpatient. Q was in a wheelchair and attached to life saving machines. They couldn’t park in a parking garage and so valet for those appointments cost $15.
The average stay for a patient in the ICU at Boston Children’s Hospital is 5 days, costing around $50 in parking. Some families will spend less time, many for more. Much more. There are foundations to apply to for help, but not for everyone. Like many others, in the case of my step-nephew, it took nine months into his hospital stay to even get a diagnosis. The diagnosis was so rare there was no foundation for the BRAT1 mutation, just like there are no foundations for many of the over 7,000 rare diseases and disorders.
So again, I ask you to imagine the unthinkable. Your world is turned upside down, sideways and torn into pieces on a daily basis as your child is in the ICU. It is easy to feel alone. Quinlan’s family wants to help support other families and let them know they are not alone. Relieving some of these costs is one way to do just that. She said, “While $10/day may seem insignificant, to a parent who’s watching their child in pain, that $10 means one less thing to worry about.”
The Fundraiser :: Link to Go Fund Me
On August 29, 2014 my step-nephew Quinlan came into the world as cute as a button. In honor of what would be Quinlan’s 4th birthday this year, from July 29th – August 29th, his family is raising money to buy parking passes for other families with children in the ICU like Quinlan.
Four weeks to raise $4,000.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND BE ENTERED TO WIN A FREE MINI SESSION!
We can do it! We can help these families and take away just a little of their burden.
And What You Can Get for just $30
$30 is three days of parking passes for a family in need. I’ve decided to add a fun photo incentive for you! Anyone who donates $30 will be entered into a raffle to win a mini session with me.
You can be entered to win more than once! Every $30 donated is one entry into the raffle ($60 equals two entries, and so on).
What is a mini session?
A mini session is a roughly 20 minute session resulting in at least 10 portraits. The full gallery includes both color + black and white for a total of 20 high resolution portraits included in your prize. Some restrictions: up to five family members. Must be used in a year. The fundraiser runs until 8/29, the winner will be chosen by 9/3 or before.
HOW TO DONATE
A Go Fund Me page has been set up. CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND BE ENTERED TO WIN A FREE MINI SESSION!
There are many rewarding aspects of my job, but one of the most rewarding is being able to use my passion to help others and to raise awareness for different causes. So join me in supporting these many families and donate today!
