Leah MacNeil: Medical Expense
My name is Rita Wilfing. I am trying to raise money for a precious, sweet 9 year old girl named Leah MacNeill. Leah was diagnosed with a rare bone disease that has taken a heavy toll on her quality of life. She goes through painful treatments every few months that help manage the disease, but even with these treatments, painful episodes continue. The strength required to simply receive these treatments is, ironically, undermined by the disease itself. In one incident the treatment actually stopped Leah’s heart to the extent that doctors thought they would not be able revive her. But, life and Leah persist, some days better than others, but never a day without that Leah smile no matter how bad. Outwardly, towards family, friends, co-workers and, especially her daughter, Leah’s mom, Jill, puts on a happy face, more positive than any I could imagine summoning up under such circumstances. She has even began trying to save money in hopes to take Leah to Disney World once Leah is well enough. Like most children, Disney is a place Leah has always dreamed of going. The savings has obviously taken a backseat to the medical expenses and so, has been a slow process. It has promised to slow even further with news that Leah may need to travel out-of-state for further special treatments. These treatments may provide Leah an opportunity to live her day-to-day life more comfortably in a little less pain. They do not, however, come cheaply and, as you can imagine, are not fully covered by her insurance. The cost doesn’t even take into account the travel to the treatments, which will not be covered at all. At this time there is no cure for this disease, but the potential to manage it exists in these out-of-state treatments. Being a mom myself, I can only imagine what Leah’s mom is going through. Every child is special, but I wish everyone could meet Leah and witness her personality, unwavering in the face of this devastating disease. Always happy and laughs so easily. “Silly laughs” I call them, one of the best kind.
The money I’m hoping to raise will go toward helping with Leah's medical expenses in hopes of managing this disease, getting her healthy enough that, one day, her mother, having saved without the financial burden of the medical bills, can take her on that dream trip to Disney. Thank you for considering Leah and her family.