From the highest: Taylor Fitch is proven with, standing from left, Kasey McIntosh, Kyle McIntosh, Jerry Jim, Lillie Jones and Drew Campbell throughout a fundraiser April 30 at Magnificence from Ashes Tattoo Parlor in Crothersville. // Lillie Jones, proper, works on a tattoo on Mary Goss’ arm. Submitted images
Submitted photograph
By Zach Spicer | The Tribune
CROTHERSVILLE — Taylor Fitch was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita.
Arthrogryposis is a time period used to explain a wide range of circumstances involving a number of joint contractures or stiffness, based on Johns Hopkins Drugs. A contracture is a situation the place the vary of movement of a joint is restricted. It might be unable to totally or partially prolong or bend.
The trigger is unknown, though arthrogryposis is considered associated to insufficient room in utero and low amniotic fluid. The affected person could have an underlying neurological situation or connective tissue dysfunction.
Rachel Fitch mentioned her daughter additionally had a stroke within the womb.
Thus far, Taylor has undergone 1000’s of hours of remedy, bracing and such. She has had the tendons on the again of her toes clipped to chill out them as a result of they had been curled. She additionally had a through-the-knee amputation, and on the identical time, medical doctors reduce each femurs in half on the hip, rotated and set within the right place.
Sadly, her amputation went necrotic, and Taylor needed to have two emergency surgical procedures round Thanksgiving in 2020.
Final yr, she had her {hardware} faraway from her hips, as she had efficiently healed. Taylor’s medical doctors are at Shriners Youngsters’s Greenville in South Carolina, and he or she has to journey there for all of her medical wants.
“They’ve given us a brand new outlook and hope for her future,” Rachel mentioned of her 10-year-old daughter.
The following step is to determine the right way to greatest repair her arms.
“Taylor desires each arms amputated, as effectively, however there’s a specialist in Pennsylvania that his main observe is fixing AMC’ers’ arms,” Rachel mentioned. “He says he may give her some type of functioning arms if she has the muscle groups in her arms, even when they aren’t at the moment working. However we must have funding to go to the appointments for that. And proper now, we simply don’t. I’m hoping we are able to safe funding once more to proceed her medical wants and journey.”
On a constructive be aware, Taylor lately obtained an Obi robotic feeder. The adaptive consuming system is for people with higher extremity power and mobility limitations. By using customizable accessibility switches, Obi permits its customers to be in command of what they eat and when. It will increase independence, social interplay, meal enjoyment and well-being.
In July 2021, Rachel mentioned she submitted paperwork to the state asking for a feeder, however she by no means obtained a response.
Taylor’s college, Austin Elementary, purchased one so she might extra simply feed herself and never should be fed in entrance of her classmates, and he or she has used it every single day at college.
She additionally wanted one at her residence in Crothersville as a result of she was utilizing a lap tray and a bear paw feeder.
“It’s principally a suction-cupped base with a shaft and a magnet on the prime to which her fork or spoon sticks,” Rachel mentioned. “Her present course of could be very sluggish, messy and half her meals falls off of it.”
Rachel posted on Fb pondering she was going to do one other bake sale to buy a feeder. Kyle McIntosh, proprietor of Magnificence from Ashes Tattoo Parlor in Crothersville, requested her to non-public message him particulars.
“For a pair years, I’ve recognized of this household, and I’ve seen them with their boots on the bottom doing small fundraisers right here and there,” McIntosh mentioned. “However in all honesty, I knew little or no about their story.”
The Fitches invited him to church, and he was in a position to meet the household.
“After assembly them, I felt God laying it on my coronary heart. I prayed and thought rather a lot about it,” McIntosh mentioned.
Just a few weeks later, early one morning scrolling by way of Fb, he noticed a put up by Rachel with unlucky information that the determined assist that they had been ready on to fund some medical tools had been denied.
“Being a decided momma, she was placing out feelers to do a bake sale to boost cash,” McIntosh mentioned. “Immediately, I knew that was the affirmation I had been ready on.”
He immediately messaged his spouse, Kasey McIntosh, about doing a fundraiser. Her response was easy however highly effective: “Sure.”
“I then messaged my fellow artists with this loopy concept of volunteering a complete day for somebody they didn’t even know. Their response: ‘Sure,’” Kyle mentioned. “I used to be slightly nervous as a result of there are solely three artists, together with myself, within the studio, in comparison with six artists we’ve had for earlier occasions. Additionally, very like different small companies and people, the final six months as a enterprise, we’ve confronted some fairly enormous monetary limitations.”
However Kyle mentioned he knew it was a God factor, so he needed to do it, and he contacted Rachel and requested if she was OK with doing a tattoo fundraiser. She agreed.
In a matter of two weeks, the fundraiser was promoted on Fb, and Kyle obtained a number of constructive responses.
“I had many late nights after a day filled with tattooing making ready lots of of flash designs, organising the studio and ordering the whole lot wanted, solely in hopes that we might increase at the least half of what they wanted,” he mentioned.
On April 30, Kyle mentioned the occasion began, and God confirmed up.
“The road was wrapped across the constructing,” he mentioned. “Some individuals waited 4 hours to get a 10-minute tattoo simply to assist a whole stranger. Strangers turned associates. They laughed, cried, ate, prayed and celebrated collectively, all whereas enduring the extremes of Indiana climate, sunshine and rain. It was actually an exquisite sight to witness.”
After 9 hours of tattooing with solely three artists, they raised $5,895. Add within the PayPal and money donations of $3,610, and a complete of $9,505 was raised. That exceeded the aim of $7,800.
Rachel then ordered the robotic feeder and anticipated it to reach inside six to 9 weeks. Twenty-four hours after she paid for it with the donations, although, it was shipped. It arrived Might 9.
“That’s solely a God factor,” she mentioned.
Rachel mentioned it blows her away that individuals had been keen to assist.
“I absolutely consider it was alleged to occur within the place that it did in the best way that it did so individuals’s lives could possibly be modified,” she mentioned.
“I by no means anticipated individuals to take a seat within the solar and rain for hours to assist us,” she mentioned. “That’s nuts as a result of we’re nobody particular, simply a mean household attempting to boost our household and do the perfect we are able to. We do what we are able to, however we get no authorities help in any space, and life is pricey. So to place your face out to the general public and say, ‘Hey, I don’t find the money for’ is difficult.”
Kyle and his crew labored onerous to tug off the fundraiser for the household, Rachel mentioned.
“They didn’t even take a reduce to cowl their bills. They gave us 100% of the proceeds,” she mentioned. “I want there was a approach I might correctly thank them.”
On the occasion, Kasey gave Taylor’s brothers — Danny, 12, Jackie, 11, Traven, 9, and Gavin, 5 — stencil tattoos so that they had been included, too.
“It made them really feel 10 toes tall. As a mother, it was actually cool for my children to see how individuals ought to come collectively to assist somebody in want,” Rachel mentioned. “However one thing so wonderful was that we had been actually giving all of the glory to God for this entire state of affairs, the best way it got here collectively and the cash raised.”
Whereas the fundraiser was a giant success, Rachel mentioned Taylor’s subsequent want is a brand new prosthetic leg, and he or she additionally must do a weeklong remedy session to handle puberty and her incapacity and what that’s going to appear like.
Plus, Taylor must restart bodily remedy and occupational remedy and get to Pennsylvania to get her arms addressed. She additionally wants a much bigger wheelchair as a result of the state denied that, too.
“Years in the past, she had a motorized chair constructed as a result of at the moment, we had been advised there was no hope for her and he or she’d by no means stroll, so as a result of she has a motorized chair, they don’t wish to purchase her a handbook one,” Rachel mentioned. “However now that she will stroll and has a prosthetic leg, we don’t want the motorized one. It’s an advanced state of affairs, however principally, you solely qualify for a brand new wheelchair each 5 years.”
Anybody involved in donating to the household can PayPal [email protected] or mail donations to their residence, 4833 S. U.S. 31, Crothersville, IN 47229.
”I additionally shall be beginning Taylor’s Fb web page again up so individuals can comply with alongside. It’s Taylor’s Journey with AMC,” Rachel mentioned. “I shall be storing the cash there on PayPal till one other appointment or rapid want arises.”
