Help Mia Fight Leukemia

My name is Rachel, and I'm writing this from a hallway in the pediatric oncology wing where my daughter Mia is finishing her third round of chemotherapy. If you had told me six months ago that I'd be asking strangers for help, I wouldn't have believed you. But here we are — and I'm so grateful you're reading this.

Mia is eight. She loves painting, her rescue puppy Coco, and telling jokes she doesn't quite get yet. In March, after weeks of unexplained bruising and fatigue, we got the diagnosis no parent wants to hear: acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Since then, our lives have been reorganized around a treatment plan that stretches over the next 24 months.

Insurance covers the treatment itself, but it doesn't cover the reality of what this year looks like for our family. The specialty hospital is 4 hours from home. My husband and I have taken unpaid leave in shifts. Our older son is staying with grandparents. The bills that fall between the cracks — lodging, gas, meals, co-pays, the endless small things — are what this campaign is for.

Here's exactly where the funds go: about $18,000 covers lodging near the hospital for the remaining inpatient stays. Roughly $12,000 covers travel and lost wages for the parent who needs to be there at every appointment. Around $15,000 covers medical co-pays that aren't waived. The remaining $5,000 is a buffer for the emergencies that keep finding us.

If you've made it this far, thank you. Truly. Every single donation — $5 or $500 — is a small vote of confidence that our family is going to be okay. And on the hard days, that matters more than I can explain.

— Rachel, Mia's mom