Bo's Story

Robert “Bo” Porter was born on March 10, 2006. For most of us, the birth of a child is a time of rejoicing and wonder. It was such a time for Bo’s parents, Rob and Katey, but Bo’s birth was also a time of fear and anxiety. He was nine weeks early and weighed less than three and half pounds. Bo was born with a rare condition called omphalocele, with his stomach, liver, intestines, and other internal organs on the outside of his body. Critically ill at birth, he spent the first 265 days of his life in a hospital.

Bo has survived many surgeries to correct his birth defects, but his battle is far from over. Thankfully he is at home with his family now, but he remains on life support, breathing only with the help of a ventilator, and requires care around the clock. Though he has also survived many infections, his heart and lungs have problems related to the extended illness and need for ventilation. In the coming months and perhaps even years Bo will have extensive treatment and many more surgeries to face.

Rob and Katey are tremendously grateful for their little son, and in spite of the many challenges their spirits and their faith remain strong. Their finances, on the other hand, have been exhausted. In addition to tens of thousands of dollars in outstanding medical bills, they have had substantial travel expenses as Bo’s condition required extended hospitalization in Peoria, far from their home in Urbana. Additional surgeries are likely to be in Peoria as well. Given Bo’s situation his mother Katey is only able to work part time, and unfortunately his father Rob is currently unemployed. Katey and Bo are currently receiving public aid; however it does not cover many of the financial obligations for Bo’s care that were incurred before they qualified for assistance.

For this reason, a few friends are working together to raise money to assist this family in their time of need. While it is unlikely that we will be able to raise sufficient funds to eliminate all the outstanding medical bills and partially supplement the cost of his care and related expenses, we are doing what we can to help ensure that they can be reduced to the point where the family can continue to make reasonable monthly payments and still cover the ongoing costs of Bo’s care.

My husband wrote this for me and I think he did a lovely job.