YOEY'S
HOPE
ABOUT US
Yoey's Hope was started for a darling baby girl named Yohana (aka Yoey).
Yoey entered the world like most lucky babies––into an adoring family who loved kissing her cheeks mercilessly. But she entered the world about a month prematurely and weighed barely 4 pounds. In her first year she was slow to meet all of the growth and development milestones. She didn't have a strong suck reflex and had trouble holding up her head. She was incredibly small for her age. At one year old, she weighed only eleven pounds. Her family knew something was wrong, but it took almost a year for the medical community to find a definitive answer. A nasogastric tube was inserted to help her get nourishment and a vicious cycle of vomiting began. Vomiting several times a day became the norm and instead of gaining weight, she continued to flounder into malnourishment.
The family continued working with the medical community. Appointment after appointment, including hospitalizations were scheduled over the course of several painful weeks. Doctors were flummoxed. Why couldn't Yoey eat like a normal baby? Why wasn't she putting on weight? Would she be able to grow into a healthy child? Her family was worried, to say the least.
Yoey was diagnosed as 'Failure to Thrive' and medical exams provided no answers. Eventually a genetic test was ordered and the diagnosis for Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome came through.
It was a difficult time. Yoey's family rallied together to support their sweet baby girl and wondered how families without assistance could afford all the expensive appointments required to treat a disabled child. Manuevering through the maze of medical insurance approvals is challenging and families face finding out that the insurance doesn't approve a treatment or evaluation and payment must be made out of personal funds. This quickly drains savings accounts and emergency funds.
And hence, Yoey's Hope was born.
Today, Yoey still gets all the cheek-kisses her family showers upon her. Charitable donations helped fund the medical evaluation leading to her transition from an NG tube to a G-tube. After a successful G-tube surgery, she is also able to receive the nutrition her body needs to grow.
Yoey's Hope accepts donations in order to support families of children with Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome.
100% of funding goes to Wolf-Hirshhorn children and their families. No administrative fees are incurred.
Applicants are accepted annually to receive funding after an extensive vetting process by the Yoey's Hope board of directors.
It is our sincerest hope that families are blessed with your gifts so that their children may grow into the healthiest version of themselves possible. We believe financial setbacks should never prevent children from getting the care they need, and we thank you for your gift.