Angela's Leap of Faith
Donation protected
My name is Angela McDonald, and I am 46 years young. My family consists of myself, one adult son and five beautiful children: Mekhi, Jesse, Isaac, Mia, Michael, and Kenny. I became a medical foster parent 8 years ago and over time adopted 4 medically fragile children. As my family grew, the space in my home did not. I converted my garage and home office into bedrooms for my foster children. My dining room and living room became storage areas. They are currently filled with Rifton chairs, wheelchairs, bath chairs, Hoyer lifts, gait trainers and boxes of medical supplies. My wish is to receive assistance with modifying my home or to get a bigger home to make everyday life easier.
Mehki “The Gamer” is 19 years old was diagnosed with Intellectual Disability at an early age. My son recently graduated from high school and will be attending Florida State College at Jacksonville in the Fall 2024. Mekhi major is Graphic Design Production. Mekhi loves to write short stories, making art, anime, and drawing.
Jesse “Smiley” is 17 years old and came to my home on March 8, 2021. Jesse has a medical history including tetrasomy 9q with global developmental delays, seizures, neuropathic pain, profound intellectual disability, insomnia, flexion contractures, obstructive sleep apnea, self-harm, impulse-control conduct disorder and cortical visual impairment. Jesse is G-tube dependent for his nutrition and he is non-verbal. Jesse is non ambulatory and wheelchair dependent. He sleeps in a large Pedi Craft net bed that takes up a lot of space. Jesse loves anything sensory with animal noise or music, but the toys must be soft.
Isaac “Izzy” is 16 years old and came to my home on April 3, 2020. Isaac has a medical history including 33-week prematurity within utero drug exposure requiring Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome protocol, periventricular leukomalacia, cortical visual impairment, epilepsy, global developmental delays, cerebral palsy, scoliosis, neuropathic pain, and history of severe obstructive sleep apnea with BiPAP dependence. Isaac went into cardiac arrest at school in August 2022 which required CPR. This event led to a tracheostomy placement in September 2022. Isaac is G-tube dependent for his nutrition and he is non-verbal. Isaac is non ambulatory and wheelchair dependent. He is hypotonic and have trouble sitting up straight. Isaac maintains his hips in a naturally abducted position and his knees pay the price when moving in and out of doorways. Isaac has a beautiful smile and an enthusiasm for interacting with his environment. He is eager to let you know with his infectious laugh and smile!
Mia “Social Butterfly” is 13 years old and someday wants to become a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse at Emory University. Mia is always ready to help me out with most tasks and loves on her brothers with gentle hugs. She is my little track star and would love to learn how to play the guitar.
Michael “fluffy marshmallow” is 8 years old and came into my home on December 16, 2016, at 4 months old. Michael was born a healthy and beautiful baby boy. Tragically, he was the victim of abuse and trauma. He was severely shaken as a baby and as a result had 17 broken bones all over his little body, all in different stages of healing at 2 months old. As a result, he also has severe traumatic brain injury. His diagnoses include static encephalopathy, quadriplegic cerebral palsy, seizure disorder, retinal hemorrhages, blindness, and dysphagia. Michael is G-tube dependent for his nutrition and he is non-verbal. He is non ambulatory and wheelchair dependent. Michael has a beautiful smile and bright beautiful eyes. He has endless energy, loves music and cuddling. He is eager to interact with those around him and has a willingness to show you the purity of his heart!
Kenny “chocolate chip” is 7 years old and came to my home on April 8, 2018. He was born at 25 weeks gestation, weighing only 1 lb. 10 oz. He was so fragile that I even received a “Risk of Death” letter while he was in my care from the Department of Children and Family to pass to the police department just in case he suddenly passed away. My little chocolate chip is a true fighter. Kenny had a complicated NICU course including necrotizing enterocolitis (intestinal disease), prolonged intubation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (chronic lung disease) and intraventricular hemorrhage. He has subsequent cortical visual impairment, global developmental delays, spastic cerebral palsy, and seizures. Kenny is G-tube dependent for his nutrition and he is non-verbal. Kenny is non ambulatory and wheelchair dependent. He has a history of ineffective airway clearance and was hospitalized in February 2020. During this hospitalization, it was decided that he would benefit from tracheostomy placement. Kenny has a spectacular smile that lights up the room. His laugh is infectious, and he brings pure joy to everyone around. He enjoys music and loves to be tickled. Kenny has a spirit of peace and calm about him, no matter what life hands him, he just takes it in stride! You go boy!
As my family grew, so did our needs. One of the most significant needs is a safe, reliable, wheelchair-accessible transportation van for 4 kids and several nurses. Another need is to have an updated handicapped accessible home with more square footage in bedrooms and bathrooms for my family. Additionally, I have a difficult time evacuating my children safely during Hurricane Season. We reside in Florida and during hurricane evacuations are required to relocate to special need shelters. Our home needs designated storage areas for supplies/equipment, wider doors, exit ramps, built-in home generators, fire sprinkler system, hurricane approved windows with shutters, more square footage for physical therapy and PT equipment. Lastly, ceiling tracks would greatly help for my growing boys.
Any donations and / or help will allow us the opportunity to move freely in our home as a family so that we can enjoy activities and experience quality time together. I am so humbled and profoundly grateful for your spirit of generosity! Please see my Facebook page with more details about my family.
*For safety purposes, please donate only to my GoFundMe account. Do not ever hand donations to a person's hand for fraud purposes ❤️
It's a one woman show.
Thank you,
Angela McDonald - Mother
Organizer
Angela McDonald
Organizer
Jacksonville, FL