Helping Hannah fundraising will be stopping this week. Thank you to everyone for their generous support. Hannah and her family have made it through this very difficult time. The family was able to stay in their home and Hannah was able to have the assistance she needed to become healthy again.

We are Helping Hannah with a financial gift and we are encouraging you to do the same. We are NOT a charity or a 501-c-3. We just heard Hannah’s story and felt like we needed to do something.

This is Hannah Simpson. She is 12 years old. She lives in Covington with her mom and two older brothers. You probably know Hannah or at least have met her at some point. Until recently, she was an active participant in several of the local sports programs with her favorite being gymnastics and soccer. She has participated in nearly every Covington Days parade and has been involved with the City and State for years; her dad is State Representative Geoff Simpson. Hannah has 2 chronic medical conditions: Ulcerative Colitis and von Willebrands.

On December 25^th, Hannah was rushed to Children’s Hospital in Seattle with a life threatening reaction to one of her medications. During her stay at Children’s Hospital, doctors advised that there were 2 more options for Hannah. She could try another, experimental medication or she could begin the process of having 3 surgeries.

Hannah went home before the New Year with a lot of things to think about. She and her mother spent hours researching; weighing the risks and benefits of the medication and the surgeries. Unfortunately, Hannah ended up with an infection while she was researching her options. She was admitted back into the hospital on January 19^th.

Hannah claims her mom has super powers because when she could hold her mom’s hand the pain was lessened. The bond between mother and daughter during the 43 days they spent in the hospital together was visible to anyone that entered the room. Ask them about it and they look at each other with a half smile. They know the ups and downs they shared in that hospital room. Days when they felt like they were driving each other nuts, days where they read or watched a movie, days spent painting fingers and toes, days filled with tests and medications, nurses and doctors, food or no food…through it all they were nearly inseparable. Dad was busy in Olympia but was able to give them a much needed break from each other on 5 nights.

Hannah finally came home from the hospital and has been home for nearly 2 weeks now. She is also beginning to go back to school for half days. She’s had to change her wardrobe but she is still trying to do many of the activities she did before. She’s not up for a full game of soccer or gymnastics, yet, but she likes to shoot baskets out front with her brothers for a short period of time several times a week.

Hannah lives with her mom and brothers in a house her mom bought and fixed up almost 2 years ago. Mom became a middle school math teacher in Renton 2 ½ years ago. Unfortunately, mom didn’t have much sick leave or vacation available for this hospital stay or for the upcoming appointments and surgeries. The Renton School District Employees have donated 49 hours of sick leave to help cover her lost wages and the District granted an intermittent Family Medical Leave so she won’t lose her benefits. Family Medical Leave is unpaid leave. Mom has lost over 2 months of wages already and will need to spend at least another 2 weeks of unpaid leave to take Hannah to appointments and care for her during her next surgery. Hannah's last surgery should occur during the summer when mom is already off from work.

We are Helping Hannah and her mom with a financial gift to replace mom’s lost wages during the upcoming months. Hannah will also need help with tutoring, medical supplies and clothing. She would love to go to Camp Oasis this summer to meet other kids who also have Ulcerative Colitis but she knows with her mom’s lost income and the added expenses to their budget, that’s just a dream. Mom is trying to find ways to raise enough money to meet their mortgage payment in May when Hannah has her next surgery. (5/11/10: Hannah's doctors don't feel she will be healthy enough to attend any of the camps nationwide this year. We will get a CD in Hannah's name to assure that she can attend next year.)

We encourage you to help in any way you can. Thank you for taking the time to read about Hannah. She’s an amazing young lady and with your gift her family can spend their time caring for her instead of worrying about their home.