1. Prayer. We can always use prayer. Pray for a complete healing of Teddy’s kidneys. Pray for peace for our family. Pray for wisdom in the medical team and in our own decision-making. Pray for peace for Teddy.
2. Practical help. When I’m in the hospital with Teddy, our family could use meals, help with shoveling snow or mowing the lawn, etc. When I’m home, we drive to Iowa City every week and would happily accept a ride if you’re headed this way anyway.
I wrote a whole blog post on how to help a family with a child in the hospital.
3. Above and beyond help. Consider becoming a living kidney donor. (I am NOT asking you to give Teddy your kidney, but there are plenty of kids waiting for kidneys, and you really only need one.)
4. Financial help. Teddy has an account at National Foundation for Transplants, allowing you to make tax-deductible donations in his name for his medical expenses. Recently, someone also had the idea of donating gas cards and gift cards for restaurants in Iowa City that deliver to the hospital. 🙂 I personally think this is an excellent suggestion. Java House is a coffee shop located actually IN the hospital, Rooftop Cafe is run by Volunteer Services and features yummy food brought in from local restaurants. Then places that deliver include: Milios, Jimmy John’s, Happy Joe’s, Monica’s, Pita Pit, The Mill, Wig and Penn, Thai Flavors, and Pizza Hut and PapaJohn’s also deliver to the hospital.
Our Teddy Bear's Journey 
Any food allergies? (For those of us interested in sending caloric support)
Wally is allergic to wild rice and canteloupe, but that’s so rarely a problem, and Randy can’t have mushrooms. And nobody likes beans (dried, not green).
My husband and I own a hair salon in Fairfax, VA (www.salonkhouri.com) and we’d love to raffle off a gift certificate (locally here obviously) and donate the proceeds to you guys. Just let us know when.
My prayers are with Teddy and your family. He is an absolute doll.
Jennifer
Jennifer, that is so generous of you. I don’t even know what to say!
Holidays are coming up. Y’all are still in my thoughts. Is there anything I can do to help with gifts or general holiday cheer?
Jennie,
I think we are ok right now! This Christmas is (hopefully going to remain) much easier than last year, since we’re all HOME!! We got the Christmas tree up and everything (whereas last year, we threw it up on Christmas Eve, since we had been planning to have Christmas in the hospital and were unexpectedly discharged). Thank you so much for your kind offer!
Hi Sarah, I don’t know you very well but live near by and have been following your blog. I would like to help you but not sure where to start. Is there anything specific you need help with right now? Not sure when food is most needed b/c i don’t know when you are or are not in DM. My heart goes out to you and your family. I don’t know where you find your unrelenting strength.
Lisa,
We don’t have any immediate needs right now – when I’m home and everything’s going well, we have a fairly normal life, fortunately. 🙂 But when I’m inpatient with Teddy, dinner and things like snow shoveling if it ever snows are soooo helpful to the rest of the family. DH takes the big kids out to his parents house in Ankeny, and by the time he drives out there in heavy traffic, gets them, and gets back, it gets very late for dinner and they end up eating kind of junky foods.
As far as strength goes… my strength comes from God. 🙂
I have 12 oz of breast milk, 6 months in freezer. Pumped it when my little one was about a year old. Someone from willowsong said you might be interested. If so, please let me know. I know it isn’t much, but i hate to chuck it if there is someone out there who wants it 🙂 If interested, just email me at lisa_lou@hotmail.com.
P.S. I am very healthy, no drinking, smoking, no medications, etc.
Hey Sarah,
We have some extra Enteral Infinity feeding bags. Does Teddy need/use those feeding bags? If so, I would love for you to have them.
Hey, sure. We can always use new bags.