Meet Owen!

I want you guys to meet my cousin Stephanie, her handsome husband Peter and two adorable sons, Owen and Ollie. I realize that this particular post is not about my ranch life or even about polyamory, but I want to introduce you to this family because they are in need of a little bit of assistance. 

You see, Owen was born a fighter. He was not given a fair chance from the get go, but he is the toughest little man you will ever meet. Owen has no official diagnosis and his family is still waiting for further genetic testing, but a litany of birth defects still hinder Owens everyday life; such as, "a smaller than normal skull, a blocked nasal passage and small windpipe, one lung larger than the other, sleep apnea, obstructive apnea, a heart defect, bowel and urinary issues, and hip dysplasia".

Even still, now a bright eye'd, 4-year-old with a devilishly handsome smile, Owen is doing well and thriving. 

However enormous his struggles and successes have been, Owen and his family still struggle with some basic day-to-day things. Because he needs 24-hour care, Stephanie needed to quit her job limiting the income of her modest dairy farming family. As Owen gets stronger and bigger each day, his family wants to make his world more accessible for him. What that means for Owen's family is a wheel chair ramp for their house, a paved driveway for said wheelchair and a wheel chair accessible mini van. Even though some of the equipment needed for Owen's care is provided by the hospital, majority of the cost falls to his family to come up with. 

Recently Jessica Kerr of the Delta Optimist came to visit Owen and write a piece about him and his family. You can check it out here. 

Here is a link for a YouCaring fundraising account to help Owen's world open up for him.  As I write this $3,655 has been raised but their goal of $20,000 is still a long way off, so I urge you to take a look, donate if you can,  and please pass it on!

Thanks everyone!