Our Family Has Been Through So Much, and We Need Your Help Two years ago, our family's lives changed forever. What started as a simple case of Influenza B quickly turned into something we never could have imagined. Our entire family became sick, but while the rest of us recovered, my husband continued to get worse. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered a massive saddle pulmonary embolism, extensive blood clots, and severe pneumonia in both lungs. His condition was so critical that he had to be transferred to another hospital. I will never forget being told that the medical team would do everything they could, but that his chances of survival were extremely slim. My husband was placed on a ventilator for two weeks, fighting for his life. During that time, I was repeatedly told to prepare myself and our children for the possibility that he would never come home. Against all odds, he survived. After two terrifying weeks, doctors were finally able to stabilize him enough to remove the ventilator. For the first time, we felt a little bit of hope. But that hope was shattered when, later that night, he was found unresponsive. We learned that he had suffered multiple strokes throughout his brain. His lungs never fully recovered, and after more than a month in the hospital, he was finally discharged home. But the man who came home was not the same man who had entered that hospital. Today, my husband lives with permanent complications from everything his body endured. He is dependent on oxygen 24 hours a day, has lasting damage from his strokes, and has developed numerous serious medical conditions. He has failed multiple blood thinners despite having a dangerous blood-clotting disorder. He also suffers from acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), a rare genetic metabolic disorder that can cause debilitating and potentially life-threatening attacks. His medical conditions are extremely complex, and we have been told by his doctors that, at this point, they are primarily managing his symptoms because there is little more they can offer him. As if watching my husband fight for his life wasn't heartbreaking enough, our 15-year-old son has also been diagnosed with acute intermittent porphyria. We believe the tremendous stress of nearly losing his father may have contributed to triggering his symptoms. Our son has suffered repeated attacks and has lost approximately 50 pounds. The hospital has practically become our second home. Before all of this, my husband was able to work and help provide for our family. Now, he is permanently disabled, and I have become his full-time caregiver. I help him with his everyday needs while also caring for our children and trying to keep our family together through one medical crisis after another. We went from being a family living an ordinary life to a family simply trying to survive each day. The emotional, physical, and financial toll has been overwhelming. Between medical appointments, hospital stays, transportation, household expenses, and caring for my husband and our son, we are struggling to keep up. Asking for help is not easy. We have always tried our best to manage things on our own, but the reality is that we cannot do this alone anymore. We are reaching out with humble hearts, asking for any support you may be able to give. Any donations received will help us cover essential living expenses, transportation to medical appointments, and the everyday needs of our family as we continue navigating these devastating illnesses. If you are unable to donate, sharing our story would mean just as much. My husband fought against unimaginable odds to come home to his family. Our son is fighting his own battle with a rare disease. And every day, I am doing everything in my power to hold our family together. We aren't asking for a perfect life. We are simply asking for a little breathing room, some stability, and the chance to focus on what matters most: keeping our family together and caring for the people we love. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for taking the time to read our story, for your kindness, and for any support you can offer. Every donation, every share, and every prayer means more to our family than words could ever express. ❤️
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