My nephew and his family need your help.

Two years ago, it was determined (after a series of tests) that my 14-year old nephew's kidneys had never fully developed. His mom got a call from his doctor one night after a series of more testing telling her that she needed to get to the hospital with him right away. She dropped what she was doing and rushed him to the hospital to find out that because his kidneys had never fully developed, he had renal failure. The doctor was shocked that this little boy was still living a normal life despite the seriousness of his condition.

My nephew was immediately admitted to the hospital and he started on dialysis every other day. He is now undergoing dialysis every day of his life until he is strong enough and ready for a kidney transplant. There have been many scary moments during this process due to the recurring infections from the dialysis machine and from his weakening immune system.

At this point, his mom has had to quit her job because he is at the point where he needs her care 24/7. Meanwhile, she has 2 other children (a 7 year old and a 6 month old) that also require her attention. Her husband has had to leave FL and come to NJ to get a higher paying job in order to send them money for their expenses. My brother is also sending them as much money as he can, but unfortunately, their financial situation is getting worse by the day. She is at the stage of desperation because she is not able to keep up with her rent, bills and my nephew's medical expenses. Her main concern right now is Jon Ray and making sure he takes all his meds (one missed dose could be fatal) and that he get his daily 8 hours of dialysis. She tries to create an environment that is stress free and as normal as possible for him. Meanwhile, it is very heart breaking to listen to her crying because her son's biggest dream is to buy a guitar and take guitar lessons, and she can't afford it. Every time they go to the hospital they pass a sign advertising the lessons and he often asks her “Mom, are we getting close to the time where I can buy a guitar?” His mom tells him “Not yet honey, but soon”.

People that know me, know that it is very hard for me to get to the point of having to ask for money in order to help my nephew and his family, but it is necessary (at this point) to get all the help we can get. I have asked God for direction and strength in finding ways to help this family and so I am asking you to help me keep a roof over this family's head until they can get back on their feet again.