Help Us Give Marleigh the Future She Deserves

Our daughter Marleigh is only 3 years old, but she has already fought battles that most people will never face in a lifetime.

Marleigh has a rare SCN1A genetic mutation that causes severe epilepsy. Since her first seizure, our lives have experienced fear, heartbreak, and uncertainty that no parent is ever prepared for. We have watched our daughter stop breathing. We have performed CPR while waiting for emergency responders to arrive. We have spent countless nights sitting beside her bed, afraid to close our eyes because we don’t know when the next seizure will come.

There have been multiple moments when we truly thought we were going to lose her.

One of the most terrifying happened when a medication reaction caused Marleigh to become critically ill. She was rushed to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where doctors discovered severe complications affecting her brain. We sat helplessly beside her hospital bed, listening to doctors explain how serious her condition had become and wondering if our little girl was going to make it through. No parent should ever have to hear those conversations, yet we found ourselves living every parent’s worst nightmare.

Even now, those memories are impossible to forget.

What many people don’t realize is that epilepsy doesn’t only affect someone during a seizure. Marleigh faces challenges every single day. Developmental delays, medication side effects, sleep disturbances, hospital stays, specialist appointments, therapies, and constant monitoring have become part of our daily life. A simple fever or illness can quickly become a medical emergency.

Our family lives in a constant state of vigilance. Someone is always listening for unusual sounds, checking monitors, watching for signs of a seizure, or preparing for the possibility that we may need to call 911. Sleep is never guaranteed. Peace of mind is something we rarely experience.

Yet through all of this, Marleigh continues to amaze us.

She loves swimming, playing with her siblings, making people laugh, and finding joy in the little things. Despite everything she has endured, she continues to smile. She continues to fight. She continues to show us what true strength looks like.

We are creating this fundraiser because the financial burden of caring for a medically fragile child is overwhelming. Medical travel, specialist appointments, therapies, equipment, medications, and the loss of income that comes with providing around-the-clock care create challenges that many families never have to face.

Every donation, no matter the amount, helps us continue providing the care Marleigh needs. If you are unable to donate, sharing her story and keeping her in your prayers means just as much.

Thank you for taking the time to read about our beautiful girl. Thank you for helping us fight alongside her. Most of all, thank you for helping us give Marleigh every chance at the future she deserves.

With love and gratitude,

Marleigh’s Family