Family of teenager battling Cerebral Palsy, scoliosis and many other health conditions gets Thanksgiving meal thanks to community support

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Gracie Moore, 19, was born prematurely. She is fighting a mountain of health issues. One of them is cerebral palsy.

“It’s a lot for her and my other daughter also because she helps as much as she can and it’s scary because she’s always in the hospital she’s either sick or passing a kidney stone we never know what’s going to happen when we go in,” said Farrah Moore, Gracie’s mother.

Moore says Gracie was not always bedridden and actually enjoyed physical activities like swimming. She even won a Special Olympics swim competition. However, Moore says things changed about six years ago when Gracie was diagnosed with scoliosis.

Soon after, Gracie’s father died. “Sometimes It hurts a lot, and sometimes I don’t want to think about it because it hurts,” said Gracie.

The mom of two says she has been struggling to make sure Gracie gets the best care possible. Moore says her mom and dad have been pitching in to help, but she says there’s only so much they can do.

“After that I’ve been an only parent, and it’s different from then just, you know, being a single parent. I don’t know how else to explain it,” said Farrah.

Moore tells me a thanksgiving day celebration almost seemed out of the picture for her family this year, as upcoming surgeries for Gracie have tightened her pockets. “Any money that comes in is for her needs,” said Moore.

But thankfully, a few giving citizens heard this family’s story and decided to make sure their dinner table was not empty. The United Cajun Navy teamed up with Mestizos Restaurant and purpose church to make sure they had a good meal and a ton of supplies.

“I need help from everyone I mean thank God they brought this stuff to us today I mean it’s just amazing how people come together and we are so grateful and thankful for everyone that’s helped us on this journey,” said Farrah.

However, the journey is far from over. Gracie still has multiple surgeries ahead of her. They will also have to invest in making the family home handicapped accessible. But rather than dwelling on the things they do not have, they are grateful for the things they do have

“We make sure we love each other so much because we don’t know what outcome will come with all of this you know,” said Moore.

“I have my family around and they’re always there for me and I love them,” said Gracie. This family wants others to know, no matter what the situation, there is always room to be thankful.

You can click here to visit Gracie’s fundraising page on Facebook, if you are interested in helping her on her journey.

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