When an 11 year old girl was placed in palliative care, her family decided to move home to India to be surrounded by the rest of their family. However, flying would place additional strain on the young girl’s condition and there was a possibility she would not survive the trip. The River Ellis...
A Sentara Leigh Hospital Medical Worker suddenly fell ill and began suffering debilitating symptoms due to a chronic gastrointestinal disease. She desperately needed a visit to a GI specialist in order to obtain medicine to get the symptoms under control. However, the family was struggling...
A Portsmouth mother was forced to stop working as a dental assistant when the COVID-19 pandemic began. After losing her 8-year-old son in a drowning accident, she was fearful of placing her other two children in childcare during the pandemic and remained home for an extended period of time so she...
A Newport News mother stayed at her daughter’s bedside when she was admitted to CHKD with a fungal brain infection. Fortunately, her daughter’s condition improved drastically after undergoing brain surgery. As a mental health counselor, the mother was not compensated during the extended time she...
After leaving an abusive marriage, a Newport News mother was working 3 jobs to support her 2 teenaged daughters and herself. Due to COVID-19, she lost all 3 of these jobs in a very short time period. The mother was able to find new employment, but needed assistance paying her rent from the period...
A 2-year-old boy from Franklin passed away suddenly due to Congestive Heart Failure. The day of the funeral, the family was notified that they would be unable to hold the scheduled memorial service for him unless a payment was made to the funeral home beforehand. The family was unable to afford...
A 17 year old boy suffered from two cardiac arrests that resulted in a severe physical disability. He was stabilized during his hospitalization at CHKD, but the family was required to install a ramp at their Norfolk home in order for him to be discharged from the hospital. They were unable to...
A mother’s car was totaled while driving to her first day of work at a preschool. Her three-year-old daughter was also in the car and was attending preschool for her very first time. Both sustained only minor injuries, but without transportation the mother would no longer be able to keep her new...
The grandparents and sole providers of two special needs children found themselves without a home after their house burned down earlier this year. Without home insurance, this Hampton family was unable to afford a new house that could accommodate their grandchildren’s special needs. On top of...
A rising 2nd grader in Virginia Beach passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving behind a grieving family. His mother was unable to pay for his funeral service as a single parent who was already experiencing financial difficulties. The River Ellis Foundation was able to assist in covering the...
When her car was totaled in a car accident, a mother found herself in the middle of a difficult situation. She relied on this vehicle to transport her 17 year old son with cerebral palsy to all of his medical appointments. Still making payments on her previous car, she was unable to afford a new...
At 22 weeks pregnant, a Newport News mother learned that her baby had Down Syndrome along with heart failure so severe that there was no way he would survive. The mother went on to carry him until 28 weeks and 4 days when she gave birth to her baby boy weighing 1lb 2oz. This little miracle...