Ellie Cooper

Our Miracle Girl

Ellie has been defying the odds since before she was born.

After experiencing a heartbreaking loss, we weren’t sure our family would ever be complete. Then came our miracle — our rainbow baby. Ellie was born at just 26 weeks gestation, weighing barely two pounds. Her early arrival marked the beginning of a long NICU journey and a lifetime of complex medical care.

As Ellie has grown, so has the list of challenges she faces. She has Cerebral Palsy, autism, epilepsy, chronic lung disease, dysautonomia, and multiple rare genetic disorders, including Kleefstra Syndrome 2. She relies on a feeding tube for all of her nutrition, hydration, and medications. She requires extensive respiratory treatments throughout the day, oxygen while sleeping, frequent therapies, and countless appointments with specialists. Hospital stays have become an all-too-familiar part of our lives.

But Ellie is so much more than her diagnoses.

She has the brightest smile, the sweetest laugh, and a determination that amazes everyone who meets her. She loves music, cuddles, playing, and being surrounded by the people she loves. Every milestone she reaches has been hard-earned, and she continues to show us that joy can exist alongside incredible challenges.

The Road Ahead

When we first created this campaign, our biggest goal was giving Ellie something our family desperately needed: safe, accessible transportation.

After months of fundraising, sharing, events, and an incredible community rallying around our girl, Ellie’s wheelchair-accessible van is now fully funded. We will forever be grateful to every person who helped make that possible.

But the road doesn’t end with the van.

For Ellie, medical care is not a chapter that eventually closes. It is an ongoing part of her life. Her needs continue to grow and change as she does, and many of the things she depends on are not fully covered by insurance.

That’s why we are continuing Ellie Strong: The Journey Ahead.

Where Your Support Goes

Ongoing donations will help our family cover the many medical expenses that come with caring for a medically complex child, including:

• Specialized medical equipment and adaptive equipment not covered by insurance

• Medical supplies and medications prescribed by her doctors, but not covered by insurance

• Specialists out-of-network that treat kids like Ellie

• Out-of-network hospitals that are better equipped to handle certain medical conditions Ellie has

• Therapies not covered by insurance and out-of-network therapists

• Other unexpected medical expenses that arise along the way

More Than a Fundraiser

We know that not everyone is able to donate, and we never want anyone to feel that they have to.

Sharing Ellie’s story, connecting us with resources, helping us find financial assistance programs, or simply cheering Ellie on all make a difference.

Every donation, every share, every connection, and every person who chooses to be part of Ellie’s village helps us keep moving forward.

Our road looks different than we ever imagined it would. There will be more appointments, more therapies, more equipment, and undoubtedly more unexpected turns along the way. But there will also be more smiles, more milestones, more adventures, and more moments that remind us just how extraordinary our little girl is.

Thank you for continuing to walk this road and travel this journey with Ellie. ❤️