Short Summary
We are the Kalume family. After 10 years of infertility,
we were blessed with the possibility of transferring two embryos to a generous
surrogate. We were all surprised when
one split TWICE giving us identical triplet boys and a girl! The
quadruplets are now seven, however all three boys are diagnosed with severe
autism and are non-verbal.
Unfortunately, our marriage did not survive the many challenges
we faced. In addition to infertility, we lost our roof to a tornado months
before the babies were born in 2007. Then, Deborah (the quads’ mom) had a
massive stroke only two years later and lost her IT job of over 10 years with a
fortune 500 company. Most recently, John
(the quads’ dad) lost a similar job in May of 2013.
Now, we are desperately trying to keep all 4 kids together in
the same house, but one of the boys has escaped a well locked house twice now
(thankfully, he was found safe each time). Therefore, we are trying to
fund a project to fence in Deborah’s house to help keep all four siblings
together and safe. Otherwise,
we may need to split them up in order to keep them manageable and safe.
Our Goal: We are hoping to raise $2,780 for a 6'
unclimbable fence that will encompass two exterior doors and a play area, plus
$2,650 for a used play system we found on Craigslist that we will disassemble
and reassemble ourselves. This will help the boys overcome physical
challenges they face, plus be much safer than a public park where they can run
off. If we do not reach our goal, the first priority is some kind of protective
fencing. Then, we can work towards the play area for the kids, so they have a
safe place to continue to develop motor skills. Any funds not used for
fencing or play set would go to buying tablets with autism and learning apps on
them, as all three boys have shown gains in language, spelling, and math from
using them at school.
If we do not find a safe solution for them in this house, then
we will be forced to raise the kids in separate homes. Separated, they will
lose the unique bond that only they understand.
It is indeed a difficult task raising three autistic boys.
However, their sweet nature and watching them overcome obstacle after obstacle
has been one of life's most beautiful things to witness. It would break
our hearts to lose one in an avoidable accident or to break that beautiful bond
they have had since conception. We have no true way to know the impact
these special needs kids have on each other, but together two of them provide a
great deal of support to the two that struggle the most. Please consider
helping us do whatever parent would give their life for: to keep
their kids safe.
If
you would like to support us in other ways than financial, we are grateful for
prayer, thoughts, well wishes, and spreading the word about our project. We thank you in advance for any support you
are willing and able to give
