Piersen Strong

Have you had a chance to get a ticket 🎫 for the birdhouse raffle yet? It’s super duper easy to make a purchase!

You’ve got✌🏻 options:

A. Venmo Aunt Sara at -Soucie

B. Make a check to Piersen Eaker and mail it to Aunt Sara. (Send us a private message for that address plz. Piersen Strong)

Tickets are $10 each

We will draw 8 lucky winners on July 15.

Birdhouses created and crafted by Piersen’s Papa Tim. 🐦 🏡



All proceeds benefit Piersen’s home addition.

This is (1) of (8) hand crafted birdhouses!
Scroll Piersen Strong’s page 📄 to see
A L L O F T H E M!

To All of Our Potential Difference Makers:

My name is Timothy Eaker, AKA, Piersen’s Dad.

May I take a moment of your day so I can share who we are, our journey so far, where we hope to go in the future, and the significant part you may play in P’s world?
(in advance – thank you.)

Memories of Valentines Day 2014 remain vivid.
An unexpected phone call at work.
The ride to Sarah Bush Hospital.
The sounds of the ER waiting room.
The snowy drive to Champaign-Urbana.
Shaking, praying, hoping.
Waiting and more waiting.
Wishing for any news.

Even today, it remains crystal clear.

Piersen was injured at his licensed daycare facility. Everything changed forever in that moment.

Ultimately it was determined Piersen suffered from Shaken Baby Syndrome, which is when a young child is shaken so hard that the brain literally crashes into the hard surfaces of the skull. The resulting damage has caused Piersen’s current health issues – currently 37 of them.

It would be years before we understood what that meant for P’s daily life. In those initial days, the neurologist treating him seemed to give one soul crushing report after another. I’m sure some of you reading this have gone through a devastating event and can relate.

Anxiety, constant heartburn, on the edge of crying, confusion, anger, every moment of those first few weeks. Very dark at times. There are still dark moments, but we believe there will always be a purpose in our pain. God will see us through, and He will use our story – if we continue to share it.

I can tell you that no person should have to endure the experiences Piersen has had to live through over the past 122 months, but the very first miracle in all of this was that he survived at all.

We are grateful for all the medical professionals that helped Piersen in that first year:
Charleston, Champaign, St. Louis, Chicago.
Grateful for the ones who care for him still: Monmouth, Galesburg, Peoria, Chicago.

Our extraordinary home nurses, Caryn and Stacey, provide care and love for Piersen every single day. (They are more than nurses to P. They are family).

All of us remain extremely grateful for the people and prayers.

Fast forward 10 years. Within limitations, Piersen has thrived. An implanted Baclofen pump in his abdomen has helped lessen muscle rigidity and an implanted VNS pump under his right collarbone has eliminated all seizure activity. He’s endured surgeries to both hips and major spinal surgery. The 2 rods and 27 screws in his back help keep him straight and growing in the right direction. And grow he has! He’s currently around 5 feet tall and weighs 95 pounds and hasn’t even hit his growth spurt yet. A general estimate puts him over 6 feet tall, weighing between 140 and 160 pounds.

But with healthy growth has come troubling problems.

The main area of our home is ideal for Piersen. Open space, easy access to going in and out. However, accessing the bedrooms or either bathroom requires going down 2 narrow hallways and navigating several 90 degree turns. Larger wheelchairs over the years made this difficult and then impossible.

Piersen’s size has made carrying him any distance difficult if not outright dangerous. For the past year, he has slept, lived, played, and learned in the family room.

It has also become impossible to get him into the bathroom, much less the bathtub or shower, so he’s had bed baths and shampoos with a bucket. Other aspects of his life have also been affected, but you get the idea.

What’s in the planning? By building an addition off the family room of our home, we can create a dedicated space for Piersen. A sleeping area that’s not his living area. A therapy area so he continues to exercise and learn. A bathroom with a tub that P can be lowered into for a long soak. A ceiling track lift system to enable safe transfers from bed to chair to couch to bath. Adequate storage so all his things can be accessed as needed. A monitoring system so he can be safely watched overnight. A door that can be closed when he needs quiet or wants to play his music really loud. Miscellaneous odds and ends, but overall, a huge project that will make a massive difference in Piersen’s life, not just in the immediate future but for years to come.

Piersen is surrounded by a tribe who love him. We are abundantly grateful. This new endeavor of providing P’s new space is where our family is asking for your help. This “ask” has placed us in a vulnerable place, but sometimes that’s where God does His best work. Our immediate and primary concern = raising the funds necessary to provide Piersen with his special space.

Your gift (of any size) means the world to our family.

Other avenues of assistance may also look like: providing supplies, sharing our fundraising information with another person or company, and prayers and encouragement. All the above are more than appreciated.

I know that together we can do extraordinary things for Piersen.
The journey over the past 10 years has been overwhelming and incredible.
So many people have supported us and continue to provide daily encouragement to just keep going.

And Piersen continues to amaze us with his grit, his will, his spirit, his JOY.

In advance, I am grateful for your support.
Sincerely,

Tim Eaker
502 College Manor Place Monmouth, IL 61462

--------

Over the last several months, friends and family (and strangers that we now call friends) have given so much - financially, donating supplies, and through prayer. Every single one of these = a gift to our family. Whether you have given $10 or $100 or $1,000 or $10,000 - each gift matters to us. And it matters to Piersen.

Through your support, our goal is to raise funds for the down payment, the construction payment and then the mortgage payment.

Honestly - asking for help is HARD.
It's not how we "do things."
But we're not asking for us.
We're asking for Piersen.

Blessings to you and your family.

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
– Maya Angelou

—————

Recent Interview:

https://www.tspr.org/tspr-local/2024-05-31/ten-years-after-a-traumatic-brain-injury-piersen-eaker-needs-a-new-space?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3PyhRo3sc8gzr4XXhDt6ySfVgktFTEB5tMGo1-AhCYm05aNI8rCzmHYE4_aem_Ab0Y-aA5p_A6HGGTREF9g_8OoTb37BgybaTXAgBqgdPcigj3SJ9vN9q-ZYq3Xc2BYEJ-hnu6onykRLCAL4e34BCs

Link to make a gift:

https://gofund.me/c676ecde

Questions? Send us a message at Piersen Strong
💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚

Have you had a chance to get a ticket 🎫 for the birdhouse raffle yet? It’s super duper easy to make a purchase!

You’ve got✌🏻 options:

A. Venmo Aunt Sara at -Soucie

B. Make a check to Piersen Eaker and mail it to Aunt Sara. (Send us a private message for that address plz. Piersen Strong)

Tickets are $10 each

We will draw 8 lucky winners on July 15.

Birdhouses created and crafted by Piersen’s Papa Tim. 🐦 🏡



All proceeds benefit Piersen’s home addition.

This is (1) of (8) hand crafted birdhouses!
Scroll Piersen Strong’s page 📄 to see
A L L O F T H E M!

To All of Our Potential Difference Makers:

My name is Timothy Eaker, AKA, Piersen’s Dad.

May I take a moment of your day so I can share who we are, our journey so far, where we hope to go in the future, and the significant part you may play in P’s world?
(in advance – thank you.)

Memories of Valentines Day 2014 remain vivid.
An unexpected phone call at work.
The ride to Sarah Bush Hospital.
The sounds of the ER waiting room.
The snowy drive to Champaign-Urbana.
Shaking, praying, hoping.
Waiting and more waiting.
Wishing for any news.

Even today, it remains crystal clear.

Piersen was injured at his licensed daycare facility. Everything changed forever in that moment.

Ultimately it was determined Piersen suffered from Shaken Baby Syndrome, which is when a young child is shaken so hard that the brain literally crashes into the hard surfaces of the skull. The resulting damage has caused Piersen’s current health issues – currently 37 of them.

It would be years before we understood what that meant for P’s daily life. In those initial days, the neurologist treating him seemed to give one soul crushing report after another. I’m sure some of you reading this have gone through a devastating event and can relate.

Anxiety, constant heartburn, on the edge of crying, confusion, anger, every moment of those first few weeks. Very dark at times. There are still dark moments, but we believe there will always be a purpose in our pain. God will see us through, and He will use our story – if we continue to share it.

I can tell you that no person should have to endure the experiences Piersen has had to live through over the past 122 months, but the very first miracle in all of this was that he survived at all.

We are grateful for all the medical professionals that helped Piersen in that first year:
Charleston, Champaign, St. Louis, Chicago.
Grateful for the ones who care for him still: Monmouth, Galesburg, Peoria, Chicago.

Our extraordinary home nurses, Caryn and Stacey, provide care and love for Piersen every single day. (They are more than nurses to P. They are family).

All of us remain extremely grateful for the people and prayers.

Fast forward 10 years. Within limitations, Piersen has thrived. An implanted Baclofen pump in his abdomen has helped lessen muscle rigidity and an implanted VNS pump under his right collarbone has eliminated all seizure activity. He’s endured surgeries to both hips and major spinal surgery. The 2 rods and 27 screws in his back help keep him straight and growing in the right direction. And grow he has! He’s currently around 5 feet tall and weighs 95 pounds and hasn’t even hit his growth spurt yet. A general estimate puts him over 6 feet tall, weighing between 140 and 160 pounds.

But with healthy growth has come troubling problems.

The main area of our home is ideal for Piersen. Open space, easy access to going in and out. However, accessing the bedrooms or either bathroom requires going down 2 narrow hallways and navigating several 90 degree turns. Larger wheelchairs over the years made this difficult and then impossible.

Piersen’s size has made carrying him any distance difficult if not outright dangerous. For the past year, he has slept, lived, played, and learned in the family room.

It has also become impossible to get him into the bathroom, much less the bathtub or shower, so he’s had bed baths and shampoos with a bucket. Other aspects of his life have also been affected, but you get the idea.

What’s in the planning? By building an addition off the family room of our home, we can create a dedicated space for Piersen. A sleeping area that’s not his living area. A therapy area so he continues to exercise and learn. A bathroom with a tub that P can be lowered into for a long soak. A ceiling track lift system to enable safe transfers from bed to chair to couch to bath. Adequate storage so all his things can be accessed as needed. A monitoring system so he can be safely watched overnight. A door that can be closed when he needs quiet or wants to play his music really loud. Miscellaneous odds and ends, but overall, a huge project that will make a massive difference in Piersen’s life, not just in the immediate future but for years to come.

Piersen is surrounded by a tribe who love him. We are abundantly grateful. This new endeavor of providing P’s new space is where our family is asking for your help. This “ask” has placed us in a vulnerable place, but sometimes that’s where God does His best work. Our immediate and primary concern = raising the funds necessary to provide Piersen with his special space.

Your gift (of any size) means the world to our family.

Other avenues of assistance may also look like: providing supplies, sharing our fundraising information with another person or company, and prayers and encouragement. All the above are more than appreciated.

I know that together we can do extraordinary things for Piersen.
The journey over the past 10 years has been overwhelming and incredible.
So many people have supported us and continue to provide daily encouragement to just keep going.

And Piersen continues to amaze us with his grit, his will, his spirit, his JOY.

In advance, I am grateful for your support.
Sincerely,

Tim Eaker
502 College Manor Place Monmouth, IL 61462

--------

Over the last several months, friends and family (and strangers that we now call friends) have given so much - financially, donating supplies, and through prayer. Every single one of these = a gift to our family. Whether you have given $10 or $100 or $1,000 or $10,000 - each gift matters to us. And it matters to Piersen.

Through your support, our goal is to raise funds for the down payment, the construction payment and then the mortgage payment.

Honestly - asking for help is HARD.
It's not how we "do things."
But we're not asking for us.
We're asking for Piersen.

Blessings to you and your family.

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
– Maya Angelou

—————

Recent Interview:

https://www.tspr.org/tspr-local/2024-05-31/ten-years-after-a-traumatic-brain-injury-piersen-eaker-needs-a-new-space?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3PyhRo3sc8gzr4XXhDt6ySfVgktFTEB5tMGo1-AhCYm05aNI8rCzmHYE4_aem_Ab0Y-aA5p_A6HGGTREF9g_8OoTb37BgybaTXAgBqgdPcigj3SJ9vN9q-ZYq3Xc2BYEJ-hnu6onykRLCAL4e34BCs

Link to make a gift:

https://gofund.me/c676ecde

Questions? Send us a message at Piersen Strong

💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚

🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
“We were lucky enough to be up by the office when the girls came by with the baby goats. They are feeding them he got to pet this one and loved it!” - nurse 👩‍⚕️ S

Love this. 💙

Be the light 💡.

🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞

Someone out there feels better simply because you exist. It’s Monday, friends. Make it count! 💚

💚💚💚💚💚

We’ve got SIX lucky 🍀 winners for
December’s Christmas 🎅🏻 🤶🏻 decor raffle!!!!!!

❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚

If you are a winner - we will be reaching out to you so you can get your piece 🔜

Congratulations 🎉🍾🎊🎈 to:

Cheri Bauer 🎅🏻

Janet Thomas 🎅🏻

Dawn Giddings 🎅🏻

Nancy Kucharz 🎅🏻

Connie Eaker 🎅🏻 

Jody Nash 🎅🏻

Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 and thank you to every single person that participated!

💚

❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚

We will do the drawing today!
Keep an 👁️ on

We will post the names of the winners!
🎅🏻 🤶🏻 ⛄️ ❄️

Thank you for your love and support!
💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️

🎅🏻 TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO GET IN ON ONE OF THESE MAGICAL PIECES! 🎅🏻

Don’t miss out on your chance to WIN one of these magical Christmas 🎅🏻 pieces!
We will draw the winners December 1st! {and. Thank you so much for your support!}

🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️

Piersen’s grandma Janet & Aunt Linda have handcrafted these SIX CHRISTMAS 🎅🏻 decorations that would look 👀 oh-so-perfect on YOUR front porch!!

During the month of NOVEMBER you may enter the drawing for only $10 per chance. 🎫

After we draw the winners -
We can schedule a pick up or special delivery! 🛻 💨 💨 💨

💯 % of each ticket sold =
goes to piersen strong for our home addition.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

You may venmo Aunt Sara here:

-soucie ***

Please include PIERSEN STRONG in the memo 📝.

With so much love,
🤶🏻 family

*** if you don’t venmo - and you want to send a check to enter the drawing, send us a message and we will get you the details. 💬 🎅🏻🤶🏻

•••••
This fundraiser will run throughout the month of November. And. You may enter multiple times if you wish!

💙 like 👍🏻 or love 💗 or share 🫂

We would LOVE that.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Piersen Strong 💪 friends and family and supporters -
as you may have read (once or twice or 9x 😉):

we are on a mission:
home 🏡 addition ➕ .

The home addition will be providing Piersen with everything he needs as he continues to grow:

• ample space
• a bedroom
• bathroom that is accessible for his needs

and

• a lift that will work throughout his special new space

Making this come together WILL TAKE a village- and we want you to know that through
your love
and support
and prayers
and SHARES -

we are well on our way for a down payment on this endeavor. 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

••••••••

This morning we reached a milestone: $20,000.00 raised.

It absolutely blows my mind.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Can I tell you that -

It all matters.

ALL of it.
Your $10 gift.
Your $100 gift.
Your $1000 gift.

Your anonymous gift.

Your shares.

Your prayers.

Your love.

Your support.

And if I haven’t taken the time to say

THANK YOU

in the last 24 hours, this is me saying:

Oh.
My.
Goodness.
Gracious.

THANK YOU.
Oh.
So.
Much.

We are working on ✌🏻 fundraisers right now:

• Christmas 🎅🏻 🤶🏻 decor (six different items available to WIN - scroll Piersen Strong 💪 to see the posts and how you can enter the drawing for only $10 per ticket 🎫) we will draw the winners on December 1st!

• we are also working on some very special snail 🐌 mail 🏤 that will be hitting mailboxes 🔜. If you’d like to be part of our mailing - please send us a private message with your mailing address. We would be honored to include you in our mailer. All donations are tax deductible. 💙🙏🏻
It is our GOAL to get these letters out beginning December 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓.

•••••

Truth:

Reaching out and asking for help is hard.
It puts us in a vulnerable position.

I mean.
We tell ourselves things like -
“Can’t you just figure it out on your own”
And
“You’ve got a job. Can’t you just pay for this.”

But the truth is -
This endeavor is expensive.
Especially, getting it STARTED.

And - through much thought and prayer
(and tears) ….
I know that it’s OK to ask for help.
It’s ok to be vulnerable.
It’s more than ok.

In fact.
Giving others a chance to be a BLESSING to Piersen = what we’re SUPPOSED to be doing.

there are very few things I can do alone in this world.
but TOGETHER -
we can make things happen.
Extraordinary things.

With so much love 💕 and appreciation,
Aunt Sara

Please feel free to message us with any questions or concerns.

Don’t miss out on your chance to WIN one of these magical Christmas 🎅🏻 pieces!
We will draw the winners December 1st! {and. Thank you so much for your support!}

🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️

Piersen’s grandma Janet & Aunt Linda have handcrafted these SIX CHRISTMAS 🎅🏻 decorations that would look 👀 oh-so-perfect on YOUR front porch!!

During the month of NOVEMBER you may enter the drawing for only $10 per chance. 🎫

After we draw the winners -
We can schedule a pick up or special delivery! 🛻 💨 💨 💨

💯 % of each ticket sold =
goes to piersen strong for our home addition.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

You may venmo Aunt Sara here:

-soucie ***

Please include PIERSEN STRONG in the memo 📝.

With so much love,
🤶🏻 family

*** if you don’t venmo - and you want to send a check to enter the drawing, send us a message and we will get you the details. 💬 🎅🏻🤶🏻

•••••
This fundraiser will run throughout the month of November. And. You may enter multiple times if you wish!

Don’t miss out on your chance to WIN one of these magical Christmas 🎅🏻 pieces!
We will draw the winners December 1st! {and. Thank you so much for your support!}

🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️

Piersen’s grandma Janet & Aunt Linda have handcrafted these SIX CHRISTMAS 🎅🏻 decorations that would look 👀 oh-so-perfect on YOUR front porch!!

During the month of NOVEMBER you may enter the drawing for only $10 per chance. 🎫

After we draw the winners -
We can schedule a pick up or special delivery! 🛻 💨 💨 💨

💯 % of each ticket sold =
goes to piersen strong for our home addition.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

You may venmo Aunt Sara here:

-soucie *** (last pic in this post shows my venmo - all you’ve gotta do is scan it)

Please include PIERSEN STRONG in the memo 📝.

With so much love,
🤶🏻 family

*** if you don’t venmo - and you want to send a check to enter the drawing, send us a message and we will get you the details. 💬 🎅🏻🤶🏻

•••••
This fundraiser will run throughout the month of November. And. You may enter multiple times if you wish!



🍁🎃👻

"Be present in all things and thankful for all things." – Maya Angelou

Happy Thanksgiving 🍁 friends!

••••••
Thank you for the gorgeous pics 📸 -
Nurse 👩‍⚕️ S.
🧡🧡🧡🧡

💙 like 👍🏻 or love 💗 or share 🫂
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Piersen Strong 💪 friends and family and supporters -
as you may have read (once or twice or 9x 😉):

we are on a mission:
home 🏡 addition ➕ .

The home addition will be providing Piersen with everything he needs as he continues to grow: ample space, a bedroom and bathroom that is accessible for his needs, and a lift that will work throughout his special new space.

Making this come together WILL TAKE a village- and we want you to know that through
your love
and support
and prayers
and SHARES -

we are well on our way for a down payment on this endeavor. 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

And if I haven’t taken the time to say

THANK YOU

in the last 24 hours, this is me saying:

Oh.
My.
Goodness.
Gracious.

THANK YOU.
Oh.
So.
Much.

We are working on ✌🏻 fundraisers right now:

• Christmas 🎅🏻 🤶🏻 decor (six different items available to WIN) in December (scroll Piersen Strong 💪 to see the posts and how you can enter the drawing for only $10 per ticket 🎫)

• we are also working on some very special snail 🐌 mail 🏤 that will be hitting mailboxes 🔜. If you’d like to be part of our mailing - please send us a private message with your mailing address. We would be honored to include you in our mailer. All donations are tax deductible. 💙🙏🏻
It is our GOAL to get these letters out beginning December 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓.

•••••

Truth:

Reaching out and asking for help is hard.
It puts us in a vulnerable position.

I mean.
We tell ourselves things like -
“Can’t you just figure it out on your own”
And
“You’ve got a job. Can’t you just pay for this.”

But the truth is -
This endeavor is expensive.
Especially, getting it STARTED.

And - through much thought and prayer
(and tears) ….
I know that it’s OK to ask for help.
It’s ok to be vulnerable.
It’s more than ok.

In fact.
Giving others a chance to be a BLESSING to Piersen = what we’re SUPPOSED to be doing.

there are very few things I can do alone in this world.
but TOGETHER -
we can make things happen.
Extraordinary things.

With so much love 💕 and appreciation,
Aunt Sara

Please feel free to message us with any questions or concerns.

🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄⛄️

Piersen’s grandma Janet & Aunt Linda have handcrafted these SIX CHRISTMAS 🎅🏻 decorations that would look 👀 oh-so-perfect on YOUR front porch!!

During the month of NOVEMBER you may enter the drawing for only $10 per chance. 🎫

And.
At the end of NOVEMBER we will randomly draw 6 lucky names - and one of these gorgeous pieces will be YOURS!

After we draw the winners -
We can schedule a pick up or special delivery! 🛻 💨 💨 💨

💯 % of each ticket sold =
goes to piersen strong for our home addition.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

You may venmo Aunt Sara here:

-soucie ***

Please include PIERSEN STRONG in the memo 📝.

With so much love,
🤶🏻 family

*** if you don’t venmo - and you want to send a check to enter the drawing, send us a message and we will get you the details. 💬 🎅🏻🤶🏻

•••••
This fundraiser will run throughout the month of November. And. You may enter multiple times if you wish!



🍁🎃👻

💙💙💙💙💙💙

💙 like 👍🏻 or love 💗 or share 🫂
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Piersen Strong 💪 friends and family and supporters - as you may have read (once or twice or 9x) -

we are on a mission:
home 🏡 addition ➕ .

The home addition will be providing Piersen with everything he needs as he continues to grow: ample space, a bedroom and bathroom that is accessible for his needs, and a lift that will work throughout his special new space.

Making this come together WILL TAKE a village- and we want you to know that through your love and support and prayers and SHARES - we are well on our way for a down payment on this endeavor.

And if I haven’t taken the time to say THANK YOU in the last 24 hours, this is me saying:

Oh.
My.
Goodness.
Gracious.

THANK YOU.
Oh.
So.
Much.

We are working on ✌🏻 fundraisers right now:

• Christmas 🎅🏻 🤶🏻 decor (six different items available to WIN) in December (scroll Piersen Strong 💪 to see the posts and how you can enter the drawing for only $10 per ticket 🎫)

• we are also working on some very special snail 🐌 mail 🏤 that will be hitting mailboxes 🔜. If you’d like to be part of our mailing - please send us a private message with your mailing address. We would be honored to include you in our mailer. All donations are tax deductible. 💙🙏🏻
It is our GOAL to get these letters out beginning December 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓.

•••••
Reaching out and asking for help is hard.
It puts us in a vulnerable position.
I mean.
We tell ourselves things like -
“Can’t you just figure it out on your own”
And
“You’ve got a job. Can’t you just pay for this.”

But the truth is -
This endeavor is expensive.
Especially, getting it STARTED.

And - through much thought and prayer (and tears) ….
I know that it’s OK to ask for help.
It’s ok to be vulnerable.
It’s more than ok.

In fact.
Giving others a chance to be a BLESSING to Piersen = what we’re SUPPOSED to be doing.

there are very few things I can do alone.
but TOGETHER - we can make things happen.

With so much love 💕 and appreciation,
Aunt Sara

Long post alert 🚨 from Aunt Sara.

Piersen Strong 💪 friends and family and supporters - as you may have read (once or twice or 9x) -

we are on a mission:
home 🏡 addition ➕ .

The home addition will be providing Piersen with everything he needs as he continues to grow: ample space, a bedroom and bathroom that is accessible for his needs, and a lift that will work throughout his special new space.

Making this come together WILL TAKE a village- and we want you to know that through your love and support and prayers and SHARES - we are well on our way for a down payment on this endeavor.

And if I haven’t taken the time to say THANK YOU in the last 24 hours, this is me saying:

Oh.
My.
Goodness.
Gracious.

THANK YOU.
Oh.
So.
Much.

We are working on ✌🏻 fundraisers right now:

• Christmas 🎅🏻 🤶🏻 decor (six different items available to WIN) in December (scroll Piersen Strong 💪 to see the posts and how you can enter the drawing for only $10 per ticket 🎫)

• we are also working on some very special snail 🐌 mail 🏤 that will be hitting mailboxes 🔜. If you’d like to be part of our mailing - please send us a private message with your mailing address. We would be honored to include you in our mailer. All donations are tax deductible. 💙🙏🏻
It is our GOAL to get these letters out beginning December 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓.

•••••
Reaching out and asking for help is hard.
It puts us in a vulnerable position.
I mean.
We tell ourselves things like -
“Can’t you just figure it out on your own”
And
“You’ve got a job. Can’t you just pay for this.”

But the truth is -
This endeavor is expensive.
Especially, getting it STARTED.

And - through much thought and prayer (and tears) ….
I know that it’s OK to ask for help.
It’s ok to be vulnerable.
It’s more than ok.

In fact.
Giving others a chance to be a BLESSING to Piersen = what we’re SUPPOSED to be doing.

there are very few things I can do alone.
but TOGETHER - we can make things happen.

With so much love 💕 and appreciation,
Aunt Sara

It’s World 🌍 Kindness Day! 
🧡💛💙🧡💛💙🧡💛💙

“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.”

Instead of just thinking about doing something kind….. today is the day to act on it! 💙

First- a gigantic thank you to our piersen strong community for your prayers and love and kind words. We can feel all of it 💗 🙏🏻 .

Now.
An update from P’s dad:

“I would consider today a success. All three doctors are satisfied with the visual findings. As long as the testing from GI and Pulmonary come back with zero surprises, we should be good to schedule our next surgery.

Piersen is resting comfortably right now. Waking up from anesthesia has always been a challenge for P, but he battled through the fog.

Explanation of why we are at this point: Piersen's airway above his current trache site is very narrow, scary narrow. We have known about this and now it's time to make the right decision for long-term outlook. To protect Piersen from any emergencies, having a second 'available' airway is crucial.

Next surgery : ENT would lower the current trache site, and the expand the narrow airway with cartilage and a stint. Roughly three days of hospital recovery and then home. After three (ish) weeks of healing, the stint can be removed.

Back to the now. We are being observed overnight with a probe, measuring any acid reflux that may or may not be happening. Again, many boxes to check before the next step can be made.

Goal is for a Thursday AM discharge.

Side note. I'm in the people business, constantly evaluating performance. These trips really make my mind slow down. Every single person on Earth is battling a hidden issue. Treat one another better. Count your blessings, morning and night.”

•••••