Back in 2014, the Marquardt family, one of the Nursing Pilot Program’s biggest supporters, was scheduled to be one of the initial families participating in the Foundation’s Nursing Pilot Program with FAU. Unfortunately, their son William lost his 8 and one-half year fight with a genetic disease GM-1 just days before the anticipated start date of the pilot.
“We were very excited to be part the Nursing Pilot program as we understood all too well the need of quality nursing in the home,” said Oralea Marquardt, mother to William. “After diagnosis, our goal for William was to give him the best quality of life in his home environment, surrounded by family. Since his medical needs were extensive, we needed the support of quality in-home nursing in order to provide the care he required. We were approved for in-home nursing hours but many times those hours were not staffed because of the lack of nurses in this field. I looked at this program as an essential way to bridge the gap and meet the needs of families caring for children with complex medical conditions. William’s passing before the program was able to start just shows the urgency and importance of MFRF’s mission in helping families like ours. William has inspired me to go to school and get a Master’s Degree as a Youth Grief Counselor.”