Support for medical bills & ongoing care needs.

My name is Christine: At 7:00am on September 14, I answered my phone to hear my God-daughter Stephanie say, "the baby didn't make it; Her name was Gretchen Christine Schmidt." I learned that the doctors lost the baby's heartbeat just as she was being pushed out, which resulted in an emergency caesarean and a team working for 20 minutes to attempt - to no avail - to restart Gretchen's little heart.

Wally and Stephanie tried for years to carry a baby to term. It was a miracle that Stephanie carried Gretchen for 41 weeks. The loss of Gretchen after a perfect pregnancy was heart-wrenching. However, it was only the beginning of a string of tragedies for Steph and Wally.

During Stephanie's nearly 3-month hospital stay, she incurred 9 surgeries that resulted in a hysterectomy and the removal of both her stomach and esophagus.

Stephanie was finally discharged on December 4, but her medical needs continue. Stephanie receives nourishment via a feeding tube inserted into her intestines and Wally works around the clock to keep up with scheduled feedings and medications. The hope is that Steph will be physically strong enough to undergo one final surgery in summer 2024. At that time, the doctors will use part of Stephanie's intestines to create an esophagus so that she can take food by mouth again.

Before insurance, medical bills have already exceeded $1,000,000. Thankfully, they are well insured but there will still be tens of thousands in "out of pocket" costs as well as other needs not covered by insurance - like in-home care support and cleaning services - which will give Wally more time to attend to his Army duties

Your gifts will help this military family avoid a medical financial crisis and save Wally from caregiver burnout.