Meet the Burles
Abby, Ryan, and the Mighty Three (at least that’s what we’d call ourselves if we were in a band together)
From left to right:
Abby, Ryan — Founders of Love Your Story, parents of these three wild, incredible triplets:
Miller — mover, shaker, explorer
Maggie Gail — sassy, doesn't miss anything
Max — vocal, sweet, and has the best laugh
Loving our kids has always been easy
Loving our story? That’s been a process
THE BEGINNING: On May 15, 2017, I gave birth to triplets 16 weeks early. They spent the first 5 and a half months of their lives in a NICU. I watched them grow from one-pound babies fighting for their lives to eight-pound babies who were ready to come home with us. My eyes were opened to the impact long medical stays have on families (financially and emotionally).
FAST FORWARD FIVE YEARS: Our family has traveled all over the country for our three kids to receive medical care. Sometimes it’s brain surgery, sometimes it’s pediatric therapy, and sometimes it’s dynamic movement intervention. We’ve been to Philadelphia, PA, Tusla, OK, Austin, TX, and even Toronto, Canada. Insurance does not pay for travel for intensive treatments, and sometimes, it doesn’t even cover the cost of care.
Most families don’t understand what it’s like to be under constant financial and emotional stress related to disability care.
Most families don’t get it when your family’s “normal” is weeks at a time in the PICU, traveling several times a year just for care, or needing accommodations just to play at the park. You don’t feel seen. You don’t feel cared for. It can be really isolating.
On the bright side? Meeting families who do get it makes you feel so much less alone.
About two years ago, I started meeting other families like ours who had to travel to get the medical care their kids needed. Eventually, we started traveling together. It was such a relief to have a community when we were in cities we didn’t live in for up to three weeks at a time. And it was a huge financial relief to share the cost of a home rental with other families.
THE QUESTION BEHIND LOVE YOUR STORY:
What if we can provide belonging to families who are traveling to our community for their kids’ care?
What if we welcome families right here, in Gainesville, GA, who are going through what we often go through in other cities? And what if this act of making the world a little easier to navigate helps us love our own story a bit more? (Spoiler alert: it has)
Molly’s House — a free home for families who are traveling for their kids’ care, was born in June of 2022
Some nonprofits start with a vision…
We are not one of those nonprofits. Instead, we started with a community need.
Our home, Gainesville, GA, is a place families across the country travel to receive pediatric neurological rehab for 2-3 weeks at a time. When these families come, they need a place to stay. 60% of families whose kids are in intensive therapy are coming from outside our county.
Because of our experience with our own kids, we know what that’s like. We know that these families are already spending 18-22% of their income on care for their kids. And we know there aren’t grants out there to give them the thousands of dollars it would take to rent an AirBnb for their family to stay for three weeks, several times a year. Unfortunately, for many families, this financial barrier means their kids can’t access care.
We think it shouldn’t be that way.
So, we rallied hundreds of donors and bought Molly’s House: a three-bedroom home, minutes from one of multiple pediatric care facilities in the area, where families can stay for free. And Molly’s House is (hopefully) only the beginning.
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TODAY…
-Families are finding physical and financial rest at Molly’s House in Gainesville, GA
-A powerful community is being created — a community where families impacted by disabilities are coming together to feel seen, heard, and understood
-Disability 101: education for kids K-5 is in the works
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SOON…
-There will be more places like Molly’s House for families impacted by disabilities
-We’ll host the first quarterly meeting for moms and caregivers of kids with disabilities in Gainesville, GA — a place for moms impacted by disabilities to belong
-Kids K-5 throughout Hall County will know more about disabilities and how to create spaces where everyone belongs
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WITH YOUR HELP…
-Families traveling for care all across the country will rest a little easier knowing there are free homes in intensive treatment hubs across the U.S.
-Families impacted by disabilities will have community meetups wherever they go
-Kids and families across the country will know more about disabilities, and 20 years from now, our communities will be a lot more equitable
Ready to bring this vision of supportive communities to life?
Make it easier for all families to love their stories
