Back in June when we found out that at not even two years old, Zyel needed a new heart, a lot of people asked if there was a fundraiser set up to help Nina and the SweetZees (Zawaile, Z'Vyton and Zyel).  There wasn't, because the time wasn't right…Nina could still work and meet her family's needs; it was really hard, but it was manageable.

Now that Zyel has received the amazing gift of a new heart and is out of the hospital, though, Nina needs to be able to stay home with him and keep him out of daycare for a year, and going to work really isn't an option.  Transplant recipients are eligible for a year of disability payments through social security, but we still don't know when that will kick in.  Right now, Nina and the kids are staying at the Ronald McDonald house together, just a few blocks from Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.  But when they get to come home, she'll need to be able to pay her rent and get back and forth to Chicago (five hours away) on a regular basis for Zyel's cardiology appointments. (They might be able to transfer his care to Iowa City, but that's still two hours away and a lot of miles.)

Can't we loan her a car, and can't her landlord's give her a break, you ask? Well, if you know me and Tony, you know that all our vehicles are one road trip away from death.  And we are also her landlords (they're renting our downstairs apartment, which is so fun!) and Tony's severance paychecks end in January with no new job on the horizon.  As much as we would love to help financially, at this point we can really only support Nina and the kids emotionally.

Which means now it really is fundraiser time.  We're hoping to raise $20,000 so that Nina can buy an older but reliable car (and afford gas and insurance), and pay her rent and bills for the next few months.

I know that's a whole lot of money!  If lots of people can help a little, we can all make it work. Please feel free to share the link and Zyel's story! 

Love,

Debbie Olsen