Addy's Medical Relief

I was Addy's classroom teacher for the 22-23 school year. We are fundraising to help cover some of the families' expenses while Addy is receiving treatment. Please read the below information that talks a little about Addy and what her and her family has been going through.

A little background about Addy:

Addy is a 14-year-old girl diagnosed with Autism. Up until recently, Addy loved to go swimming in her pool, play outside, jump on the trampoline, and be with her family and dogs at home. She was always a happy and playful child who loved going to school to see her teachers and friends. Like many other pre-teens with Autism, Addy has always struggled with sorting through her emotions. This sometimes led to aggressive episodes and self-injurious behaviors, involving head banging.

Even though she experienced behaviors, her family and teachers were able to successfully manage them. Prior to July 2022, she still had plenty of fun, playful moments with those around her. In July of 2022, Addy suffered a self-inflicted brain bleed following an increase in her self-injurious behaviors. This led to her spending a period of time in the hospital recovering. Ever since this incident, we have not seen the same girl that we all knew. Her aggression and self-injurious behaviors have increased to the point where her family could no longer maintain her safety at home. During 2023, she has required 6+ months of in-patient care at a psychiatric hospital where she has required a 2:1 staff ratio to ensure her safety.

No matter how hard this situation has been, her family remains hopeful day after day and continues to visit her every single day. They know their happy playful girl is still there and will do anything to get her back.

Her family has exhausted all the resources that could help Addy here in Pennsylvania. After months of research, phone calls, doctor appointments, meetings, and paperwork, her family was able to get her accepted into a specialized in-patient program out of state in Maryland. This program specializes in the treatment of severe aggression and self-injurious behaviors associated with her diagnoses. While her mom has driven almost 2 hours round trip to see her each day, this will not be possible when she begins treatment in Maryland. Her family plans to still visit her every weekend while she is receiving treatment, which is typically 3-6 months but could be longer.

As you can imagine, the emotional and financial burden has taken (and will continue to take) a massive toll on the family. We are hopeful that your donations will ease some of the financial pressure that Addy's family is going through.

We appreciate any and all that you can give!

*Addy's mother has approved the above information prior to posting.