I'm starting this fundraiser for my dear friend Mike whom I have known ever since we worked together as counselors. He is a single dad raising his disabled son alone. He is one of those people who naturally looks for ways to help others. He has a servant's heart and has spent much of his life giving rather than asking. Even now, when he desperately needs help for his son, it has been difficult to convince him to allow us to start this fundraiser.
When I first got to know Mike, him and his wife were a young couple expecting their first baby. I lived through with him the joyful excitement as the time of delivery approached, ... and then the shocked, fear- and prayer-filled first weeks of Cayden's life as the doctors revealed his sever health problems and disabilities. He was born with a rare genetic disorder, and also during delivery his airway became obstructed. Tragically, the lack of oxygen also caused him brain damage.
Ever since Cayden's birth Mike has devoted his life to caring for him, always doing whatever was necessary to give his son the best life he could. The first few years his mom and his wife helped him. But his mom passed away. Then 9 years ago their marriage fell apart, and Cayden's mom left them. Soon after that the only solution for Cayden's care was for Mike to become Cayden's full-time, around-the-clock care giver.
Cayden is blind - can only see large blocks of colors if they are right in front of him. He can't talk, can’t eat - needs to be fed through a g-tube. He can't walk, stand or sit. He needs diapers, and has several seizures every day. He requires 24-7 care. Mike takes him to his many medical appointments (neurology, cardiology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, orthopedics, g-tube clinic), and for all his physical- and other therapies. Cayden is 17 years old now. He will soon receive a pacemaker and a brain implant to help with his seizures. He grew bigger, so caring for him physically has become increasingly difficult. Mike has serious problems with his own lower back and has reached the point where he can no longer safely carry Cayden upstairs to the bathroom for his baths. His hope is to sell the house and move into a home where everything Cayden needs is accessible on one floor. This would make daily care safer for Cayden and, importantly, would allow Mike to continue caring for his son without risking further injury to his own back.
Mike prepared their house for sale, but unfortunately, the inspection revealed that the main sewer pipe needs to be replaced. The borough where they live doesn't allow the house to be sold before that is taken care of. The lowest estimate Mike has received for the repair is $12,500.
This is an expense Mike simply cannot afford. Without this repair, they are stuck in the house where he can no longer carry Cayden up to the bathroom.
Our goal is to raise enough money to cover the sewer repairs. This would allow Mike to move forward with selling his home and finding a safer, more accessible house for himself and Cayden where everything is on one floor. God called us to share each other’s burdens. We believe that He often provides through His people. We're praying that He will use this fundraiser to encourage Mike, to provide the help they need, and ease the many difficulties they face every day of their lives.
If you are able to give, whether it is $50, $100, $500, or whatever God puts on your heart, every gift will help move Mike and Cayden one step closer to a home that is safer and more manageable for both of them. Please, also share this fundraiser with others! It would mean a lot.
Please pray for Mike and Cayden, pray that this financial obstacle will be removed, and for the right home to become available. Thank you for reading their story, for praying, for sharing, and for helping if you're able.
