BILLINGS, Mont. – NonStop Local is collaborating with the Billings Clinic Foundation this month to gather donations for the Billings Clinic Kids Fund. This initiative provides essential financial support for pediatric patients and their families during challenging times.
The fund assists with utility bills, rent, travel costs, and other necessities. We had the opportunity to speak with Tara Young and Austin Saylor, a family who benefited from this program.
“When your child gets a life-threatening diagnosis there’s just no way to prepare for that,” said Tara Young. She explained the challenges they faced when they moved to Montana. “He wasn’t feeling great but your mind doesn’t go to kind of…illness…right away. And so we had only been in Montana for about two weeks when he was so sick that he could barely move.”
Austin Saylor shared his experience of dealing with unexplained pain. “It went from…back pain from when I was lifting weights to knee pain from walking to like random pains in my arms and then worse back pain…worse knee pain…” he said. He recalled a particularly difficult moment, “…and I could barely get up….and so we made it out of the theater and we’re about to get out of the door and I couldn’t walk anymore.”
The news of Austin’s diagnosis came unexpectedly. “I got a call from a physician in Laurel who – I had never met – and he said…’you don’t know me, but I have Austin’s results here….and it’s leukemia…”
The family faced housing challenges while ensuring Austin’s safety. “We stayed with family for a little while and….but we needed to make sure he was in an environment that he could….be safe in. I mean he was immunocompromised he was isolated…and so we…were between AIRbnbs constantly trying to be near the hospital…” said Young.
Tara expressed gratitude for the support they received. “I wasn’t able to work – everything revolved around his care – and without Bobby Thirst and our team at Billings Clinic I would have been a mess….more than I already was…”
She emphasized the financial strain that accompanies such situations. “I mean…the last thing on your mind is all the finances but they don’t stop coming – you don’t want to deal with them you don’t have the capacity to deal with life before…but it does not stop.”
Asking for help was challenging for the family. “It’s really hard to ask for help when you’re used to being self-sufficient and then all of a sudden you’re not,” Austin admitted. “Ya know you don’t want to ask that cause it feels kinda like…you feel like a charity case but it’s like – you have to. And you know just can’t take those kind of people who don’t make you feel like a charity case for granted.”
The fund’s support with utility bills was a significant relief. “We even were given…assistance with our utility bills just – to take any bit of a weight off and I can not express how much that meant to me because there were times I….I didn’t know…I didn’t know how I was gonna make some things happen and all I had to do was reach out to our social worker…and she told me she said ‘please do not wait to reach out till you are overwhelmed’.”
Tara highlighted the ongoing impact of donor support. “When you’re looking at…how it helped families like ours just know that you’re not just helping in the first few months when it’s crazy and you’re at the doctor’s all the time…”
She expressed gratitude for the donors. “…without these donors these organizations..it makes it that much harder to focus on what is most important…and that is making sure your child gets better and gets the care they need.”
Austin shared his progress since receiving care. “I’m back to doing like hanging out with friends every weekend, back to playing sports, back to working out, just back to living life like I used to.”
To help reach the goal of $50,000, donations of $20 or more can be made online, with each donor entered to win a 7-night stay in Mexico. The community’s support is crucial in assisting local patients and their families.
YOU can help support local patients and families and “Make March Matter” by scanning the QR code on the image below or clicking this link and donating now.
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