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At the December 22nd West Easton Council Meeting, Mayor Gerald Gross asked me to write about one of our neighbors, Ann Mulrooney and her autistic daughter, Hailey. Hailey also suffers from Rett Syndrome.

Mayor Gross had read an article, that told of the difficulties Ann is having. I asked for permission to reprint that article, but was refused by the editor.

Since some editor thinks it more important to protect copyright , rather than allowing the story to be reprinted as written, I’ve decided to use the request found on GoFundMe.com, that explains Ann Mulrooney’s situation:

Ann was happily married, had a comfortable home, worked a good job and had a beautiful little girl named Hailey. That all changed in 2009. Ann’s husband was very sick since 2005 and passed away in 2009 from kidney failure. Also in 2009 Hailey was diagnosed with Autism. Later that year, Ann went to the hospital for a procedure and ended up in the ICU sedated for 2 weeks. Almost dying, leaving Hailey an orphan. Ann went into complete kidney failure and was immediately put on dialysis. Ann required a kidney transplant and was placed on a waiting list. All this while suffering the loss of her husband and taking care of a newly diagnosed autistic child. She had to take a leave of absence from her job. Her employer assured her that her job would be waiting when she was ready to return to work. Ann waited patiently for the phone to ring for many months with the hopes of a lifesaving kidney and then on December 2, 2009, it did! The Lord had sent Ann the miracle she had been waiting for. The transplant was performed and has been successful to date. Ann has had her ups and downs throughout all of this. She has been hospitalized many times as a precaution for transplant problems. Ann is also a diabetic and suffers vision issues and nerve damage in her extremities. Hailey was a happy baby, she was talking and pulling herself up on things and then at 18 months everything stop and Hailey went from happy and pleasant to screaming and crying uncontrollably. Ann knew something was wrong with Hailey and sought out for answers. Hailey was then diagnosed as autistic and also has been diagnosed in 2010 with Retts Syndrome. She speaks very few words but hum songs to the delight of everyone around her. She walks with leg braces and can do 1 or 2 stairs by herself unassisted. Hailey cannot feed or dress herself. Hailey goes to therapy on a regular basis to help her become more mobile. Ann needs to lift Hailey in and out of her car seat and in and out of a stroller. These are things Hailey cannot do herself and although we never hear Ann complain, this is very physically challenging for her. So our dear friend Ann is a widowed mom with numerous medical issues who is the sole caregiver for an incredible daughter with Autism and Retts Syndrome. Furthermore, when Ann notified her employer that she was ready to return to work, she was told there was no longer a position available!

Ann is a huge advocate for her daughter. She has single handily fundraised over $20,000 for Autism Speaks. She has a facebook page set up for her daughter called Hailey’s Heroes Autism Speaks Lehigh Valley. Please check out this website. Ann is so proud of her daughter and all of her accomplishments. Everything Ann does is to help and support Hailey and to help find a cure.

Retts Syndrome is the most physically disabling of the Autism Spectrum. It affects girls most exclusively. There is no cure for Retts and what this means for Hailey is things she has accomplished like walking with braces could stop at any time and leave her wheelchair bound. Hailey already has many symptoms of Retts including loss of speech and motor control, disordered breathing, orthopedic abnormalities, circulatory problems and is currently being tested for seizures.

Now that you have heard our story……we need your help! Ann is in need of a new van that can be made handicap accessible in the future. As Hailey gets bigger and heavier it will become more and more difficult for Ann to continue to lift her. The van that Ann presently has is a 2005 model and has been broken down more times than not. The last time it needed repair the cost was $1,200. The van is not even worth that much but Ann had no choice but to get it fixed. Ann and Hailey have numerous doctors appointment and therapy sessions weekly. They cannot afford to go on with an unreliable vehicle. With Ann on a fixed income it is not possible to get another vehicle.

Mayor Gross has made a donation. I have also donated, as I am familiar with autistic children of all types because I often drive them to and from school in my “real” job.

Mayor Gross stated during his address to Council that, “Good things can come from blogs and bad things can come from blogs.”

I agree and hope that writing about Ann and Hailey Mulrooney will do some good in seeing West Easton residents donate this Christmas season, to help one of our own.

You can make your donation at GoFundMe.com.

You can also send donations to Haileys Helpers, c/o PNC Bank, 331 Third Avenue, Alpha, New Jersey 08865. For more information, email haileyshelpers@gmail.com or call 908-213-1392.