Support Melanie and Baby Jonathan's Journey

Hello everyone!

My name is Melanie. I am a 45-year-old single woman who works for DHS in the state of PA. I have two cats, four grown children, and I spend my days helping others by authorizing food stamps, medical assistance and cash benefits for families in my community. Today, I’m the one who needs help, so I’m reaching out to anyone who will listen.

About a month ago, I found out that my younger sister, who I love with all my heart (but who struggles with homelessness and substance abuse), gave birth prematurely to a very sick, but beautiful baby boy, Jonathan Aaron Marx.

It’s a sad situation with my sister - we’ve tried many times to help her in the past. Please know that in sharing our story, this fundraiser is in no way meant to be a platform for judgement or to criticize my sister. Addiction is a painful disease that affects everyone; individuals, families and communities.

That said, due to the nature of her lifestyle, I hadn’t spoken to her in several years. No one knew she was pregnant, so it was quite a shock to hear the news. There were so many mixed emotions when I learned about the baby. Mostly I felt sad that he was born into the world and no one was there for him during his first week of life. After my sister was discharged from the hospital, she abandoned him. Just like that, he was born and left in the NICU all alone. Maybe she knew that’s what would be best for him. I like to think that anyway.

While the reason for our union was bittersweet, once I saw Jonathan, he stole my heart. In that moment, the path of our lives changed forever and our journey was about to begin.

Fast forward to today…

I’m in the process of becoming his kinship caregiver with the possibility of adopting him if everything goes well. While most parents have 9 months to prepare for a newborn, my house went from zero to baby in less than 30 days! So far I’ve received a lot of support from my kids, my other siblings, my friends and some folks at work. He has everything he needs; nursery furniture, clothing, bottles and toys - I am extremely grateful for the support we’ve received and I’m so thankful he will remain in our family.

At this point, what I really need are reliable transportation and help paying bills & my health insurance premiums due to unpaid parental leave.

Since Covid, I’ve worked remotely from home, so I haven’t really needed a car. I sold my Jetta to my son - he lets me use it from time to time. A vehicle for myself is now essential for Jonathan’s Dr. appointments, specialty follow-ups, court hearings, etc. Unfortunately, I don’t have the money for a car payment and I definitely don’t have enough savings to buy something with cash.

The other hurdle is maternity leave. Jonathan deserves my undivided attention and time to bond with him. While I’m entitled to 8 weeks of parental leave through my employer, the leave is unpaid. As a result, I will be without a paycheck until I return to work. I will eventually be receiving a stipend for fostering Jonathan, but I don’t know how much it will be or when it will start. Until then, I need to get creative in figuring out how to pay my regular monthly bills.

I’m hoping the big hearts & kindness of others will help us through this time of need. I know it’s a HUGE ask, but even a SMALL amount would make a world of difference for us. Every little bit helps!

Thanks in advance for taking the time to hear our story and for your help!

Big hugs and lots of love,

Melanie & baby Jonathan