Verity's Medical Fund

If you don’t recognize this beautiful, dancing child, she’s Verity—Morgan and Andy Vonberg's precious daughter, and our close friends Kay and Jim Grubola's much-loved granddaughter. In fact, this is the face of Verity we see most often through Morgan's Facebook posts. The happy, smiling child with her bright bows and sunny disposition—the little girl with the astounding IQ who started teaching herself to read—at 2-years old—and who embraces life and pushes hard against adversity with an eternally joyful spirit.

But the fact is, Verity has been battling serious health issues since the day she was born, and while Morgan and Andy, and Jim and Kay, have consistently put on very brave faces, circumstances in the past several months have gotten increasingly grim.



This is the reality of Verity that they confront all too often—this precious child is constantly undergoing invasive and painful medical procedures. Their lives revolve around protracted doctor visits—sometimes several every day for weeks—frantic trips to the emergency room—and hospitalizations.

Doctors knew from the time of her birth that Verity has musculature problems that affect her external mobility and development. In fact, her problems are so severe that doctors predicted she would never even sit up. But thanks to Morgan and Andy’s dedication and their daily physical therapy routines, she not only sits up, but runs and dances,  as well.

But a lot of Verity’s problems can’t be fixed, no matter how dedicated her parents.  Doctors suspect her musculature problems are also internal—they know she has Gastroparesis, which literally means “stomach paralysis.” Her stomach and intestines do not process food, so she has frequent bowel blockages that must be corrected in the hospital. Her doctors are also suspicious that the paralysis extends to her colon and kidneys—and even to her heart. On top of everything, she also has Von Willenbrand’s disease, a blood clotting disorder that is a form of hemophilia. This condition severely limits any treatment options.

As the multiple specialists at one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals have wrestled with trying to help this child, they have run a blinding variety of tests—and they're not done yet!--but as the results come in, treatment options are narrowing to become virtually nonexistent.

One way Verity has been taught to cope with the constant medical intrusions is through “Beads of Courage.” Each bead on the strand she has created this year represents a medical procedure—a blood draw, an MRI, a hospitalization—and at minimum a $30 co-pay.

Throughout it all, this family has tried to manage Verity's care through insurance, Morgan and Andy's limited personal financial resources, their savings—and credit—and Kay and Jim's dwindling personal resources and savings. But the medical bills are catastrophic.

Morgan and Andy tried their best to get Verity qualified for Medicaid, but just found out that the family makes $300 too much annually to qualify. They're out of money, out of savings, out of credit.

Today, we are asking everyone who has seen Verity’s story and has been touched by this extraordinary child’s spirit to help by donating whatever you can to her Medical Fund, and by sharing Verity’s story with others who might be touched by her life-affirming spirit and heart-breaking situation.

We know you have so many appeals for extraordinary causes, but Verity, Morgan and Andy really need your help. Your donation of any size will help this family be able to concentrate on being there for Verity by easing their daily struggle of juggling payments for rent, food, insurance, medicine, and other necessities—and sometimes making excruciating decisions like whether to pay the light bill or buy the special shoes and braces Verity needs to be able to walk.

Verity, Morgan and Andy, Kay and Jim—and those of us who have put this appeal together and given funds ourselves—thank you for keeping this family in your prayers and sending whatever financial help you can.