Ride Hard, Ride Proud, Ride Law Dogs!!!!

 Hello Everyone, meet Harmony — a local girl from Thomaston and my daughter’s best friend! Harmony is just 14 years old and recently learned that she will need open-heart surgery this November.  Let me tell you a little about who Harmony is. She’s a straight-A student in Honors classes, plays in the school band, and is an active soccer player — all while participating in a program called CCA, which allows her to take college courses while still in high school. And yes, she’s doing all this as a freshman!  Harmony is the kind of person who lights up every room she walks into. She’s always laughing, joking, and spreading joy — the kind of friend who makes your day a little better just by being there.  Harmony lives with her mom, her brother, and her little sister. Her mom, Aerielle, is the family’s only source of income, working as a preschool teacher — a job she loves — but one that doesn’t come with benefits or paid time off. While insurance will help with the medical costs, the day-to-day bills (rent, food, utilities, transportation) will quickly become overwhelming while Aerielle takes time off work to care for Harmony after surgery.  The doctors have also explained that, because of Harmony’s age, she will likely need to face additional surgeries in the future as her body grows. Right now, the focus should be on Harmony’s healing and strength — not financial worries.  Harmony has always been there for her friends and family — including my daughter, Giana. She’s loyal, kind, and dependable, the kind of friend every parent hopes their child will have. Now, it’s our turn to be there for her.  If everyone contributes just a little, we can lift a great burden off this family’s shoulders and allow them to focus on what truly matters: Harmony’s recovery and well-being.  Thank you in advance for any way you can help — through donations, prayers, or sharing this page. Every gesture counts and is deeply appreciated.   With gratitude, Gregg & Giana 

 Hello, my name is Aerielle, mother of Harmony! Harmony is 14 years old and during the yearly physical her pediatrician found a murmur that had never existed before or so we thought. We were referred to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital to have this looked at just to be safe since she has been having episodes of dizzy spells, nausea, cold and hot flashes and feeling like she's coming out of her own body, and that list goes on. On October 9th we traveled to yale for the appointment which we believed was going to be quick and innocent, but this appointment took a turn quickly. During the appointment we went over the symptoms, some of the more recent episodes, did an EKG and some testing exercises for blood pressure. The Cardiologist came in and checked her over and said she heard the murmur but that it appeared to be above the Valves and wanted an echocardiogram done. The Dr then came back and said she had found the reason for the murmur. We then found out that we are faced with a heart defect that didn't show up until Harmony now. she was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, bicuspid aortic regurgitation. The dr then explained to us that this is now progressing faster and told us we needed to hand this off to the Pediatric cardiac surgery team. They then gave us two valve options to make a decision on. a Tissue or Mechanical valve. Both of these come with pros and cons at this time we have not fully decided on the best route for her. All we knew in that exact moment was that her life will begin to change forever as her Cardiologist said this is lifelong and will always need to be closely monitored as she will at some point in the future have to face another or even multiple surgeries because of her age and having this open-heart surgery done so young. we left the office knowing that by November 13th we will begin a whole new journey in our family. My concern isn't for the medical bills at this time as we do have Insurance. My concern is for the family as a unit. I am a single working mother and have 3 children for which i am providing for all our expenses. I am a preschool teacher ( a job which i love) in a privately owned facility. I don't receive any benefit's, sick days or PTO. What i make weekly is what pays the bills. FMLA and my bosses understanding will keep me from losing my job after her surgery during her recovery time when she will need me the most. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell at this point how long the recovery period will be as it will be dependent on how the surgery goes and how her body reacts to everything. With that said I will not be earning my normal pay while home with Harmony so Normal everyday bills such as rent, utilities, food Excreta and maybe any household accommodations I've been told she may need truly have me concerned. Maybe it's the anxiety, the stress or sadness or a combination of all that's truly making it so overwhelming at this time. Anything will be greatly appreciated, and My family will be forever grateful.