I’ve been friends with Jamie and Jay for 14 years. When we were teenagers (crazy to think we were teenagers when we met) Jamie swore she was never having kids. Flash forward to now, and she’s an EBF-ing, ERF-ing, baby-wearing, cloth-diapering, baby-food-making, crafty supermom. Seriously. She’s the one who gave me an emergency car-seat lesson at 10:30 p.m. after I had a minor panic attack in Babies R Us while trying to build my own registry.
This is Jamie’s middle kid, Jaelyn.
She’s a few months older than my Danger. While I was stressing over the usual silly baby stuff — is he drinking too much juice? do babies actually need shoes? — Jamie was dealing with actual mommy stress — Jaelyn started having seizures every time she had a fever. They shifted her vax schedule, kept her away from sick kids, and waited for her to outgrow it. Most kids outgrow febrile seizures by age two.
Jaelyn’s almost four now and the seizures haven’t stopped. And after years of tests and ER visits and more tests and more ER visits, they finally figured out why: Jaelyn is on the spectrum for Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy.
Jamie, Jay, and Jaelyn have been to the best doctors in Philly, but not many doctors have experience with Dravet Syndrome. So they’re headed to Chicago to meet one of the nation’s leading specialists in treating kids with Dravet. But that means getting the whole family out to Chicago, and paying the doctor’s bills on top of their ever-growing mountain of copays, ER visits, ambulance rides, etc.
The family is holding a fundraiser to help cover the costs of bringing Jaelyn to Chicago. They don’t need to raise a zillion dollars…just enough to help with medical costs.
Here’s where you can help: I’m holding a silent auction to raise money for Chicago or Bust. Just email your bid (with the subject line SILENT AUCTION) before Friday, August 3rd at 11:59 p.m. You’re bidding on:
— a one-hour Kiwi portrait session
— an online gallery with 15-20 proofs to choose from
— a disc with your 10 favorite images
The approximate value of this package is $425, but this is your chance to name your own price. Don’t be shy! Pretend I’m Priceline and you’re William Shatner!
All proceeds from the winning bid will go to Chicago or Bust.
Some quick fine print:
— Mini-sessions can’t be used for weddings (duh), brand-newborns, or extended families. They CAN be used for babies, little kids, seniors, engagement sessions, small families, etc. If you’re not sure where you fall, just ask
— Yes, you can give it as a gift.
— Subject to scheduling availability, so plan ahead!
— Please note this is not an official charity and therefore not tax deductible — just an opportunity to directly help one family and actually see the difference you’ve made.
If you have any questions, please comment below or email me!