Lindsey Brown hadn’t intended the Mother’s Day Stoop Sale in her Hilltop section of Jersey City to be a fundraiser for a local girl. But now, it will help Hazel Bohn, 17 months old, who suffers from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome.
Brown said that at first, she and some neighbors thought to do the stoop sale. Later, when they found out about a local family struggling with their daughter’s medical bills, they decided to include a fundraiser for her.
“We started planning this in early March, and then in April we decided to also raise funds for Hazel.” – Lindsey Brown
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Brown said while not all the proceeds of the sales will be donated, many of the families involved are donating some if not all what they get from sales.
“We really hope it has a big impact [on the family],” Brown said, who along with Kim Correro, helped organize the event. “They are a very humble family and we had to convince them to let us do this for them.”
A tough life for such a young girl
Seventeen-month-old Hazel suffers from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) which sends her to the hospital frequently and leaves her often in pain and sick at home.
“When she isn’t feeling ill, she’s a very bubbly girl,” Erin said.
The Bohns didn’t understand the problem at first. Most likely Hazel has had the disease from birth. But the continued severe episodes of vomiting, nausea, and exhaustion eventually led to a diagnosis about a year ago.
While medication helps reduce the episodes, said Grace, they are less effective on Hazel than on other victims of the disease, and her continued visits to the hospital adds to the medical bills.
The medication has reduced the number of Hazel’s episodes, but the attacks persist and these can have her vomiting many times during a day, and might continue for days. She is often bedridden as a result.
“We didn’t know what it was at first,” Erin said. “She was throwing up all the time and wasn’t gaining weight.”
There is no cure, only medication that controls the symptoms.
“We try to keep her comfortable when she is sick” Erin said. “When she is not sick, she is happy and full of energy. When she’s sick, she lies on the couch or goes to the hospital.”
The Mother’s Day Stoop Sale will be held on Sunday, May 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or you can make a donation at 110 Magnolia Ave. or 19 Magnolia Ave, two of many places that will have donation boxes.
This effort will help raise awareness about the disease and help defray some of the medical bills not covered by insurance.
“There are a lot of families coming together to help ease some of the financial pressure off the Bohn Family,” said Kim Correro
More than 16 families were involved in the stoop sale as of a few days before Mother’s Day. Also, people are starting to call from other neighborhoods asking how they can help and donating items for sale.
“I’m really touched by so many people wanting to help,” Erin said. “We have amazing neighbors. We’ve lived in the Hilltop area almost eight years. It is a great neighborhood. When we walk down the street, people say hi.”
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.