Go Fund Nealy

For those of you that know our story, you know that we’ve been discovering the delightful mystery that is our daughter Nealy ever since week one. From the developmental delay in her beginning months to occupational therapy, seizures, epilepsy diagnosis, medication, ataxia, MRI’s that reveal cerebellar atrophy, physical therapy, de novo genetic mutation in the CACNA1A, speech therapists, partnering with teachers, ADHD, connecting with educational services, advocating for an Individual Education Plan, cognitive behavioral therapy, tutors upon tutors, and all the way to today. Nealy has worked hard to be where she is, and we could not be prouder of her resilience, courage, creativity, and joy. Despite all we’ve done to support her academic growth, she continues to struggle. Today she’s in 5th grade and is reading like an average 1st grader. According to statewide as well as national assessments, she is in the bottom 1% of reading ability. She’s in a similar place with math, but for her to continue her education effectively as well as function in society to the best of her ability, she will need to read. The good news is, her Aunt Leigh found a program that is perfect for Nealy. The bad news: it costs $134 an hour for 200 hours this summer for a grand total of $26,800. The worse news: she’ll probably need more before it’s all said and done. The truth is, we could bleed our savings and take out a second mortgage to pay for this summer. We’d like to avoid that if we can. So we’re asking you to consider sponsoring one (or some or a part) of Nealy’s hours this summer. She loves school. She loves her teacher. And she loves to be with others. Learning to read will not only help her gain confidence in interacting with ideas and academic material, it will also ensure that her peers and teachers continue to benefit from the blessing of her presence in the classroom. Nealy has so much to offer; blazing her unique trail to literacy will remove a huge barrier for the world to receive her unique curiosity, passion, and spunk. Thanks for reading. Please consider being a part of helping Nealy share her gifts with the world.