My name is Kenny Craighead, and I’m sharing this on behalf of my better half, Emily Fournier—a loving, selfless mother of four, and a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) who gives her all to others every day.
Emily is living with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)—a serious, inherited heart condition that already claimed the life of our firstborn son, Aidan, who would have turned 15 this year. That unimaginable loss changed our family forever. Now, we’re facing another chapter of this same battle.
Tomorrow, Emily will undergo surgery to have a defibrillator implanted in her chest. She’s scared, deeply so—but she’s choosing to move forward, for our three boys—Tristan (13), Liam (10), and Ethan (9)—and for the life she still wants to live fully with them.
On top of this, less than a week ago, Emily suffered a fall that left her with a painful ankle sprain. She’s now on crutches and out of work even before surgery has begun. The timing couldn’t be worse—and while we’ve been working hard to stay financially stable, this moment has overwhelmed us.
We’re setting a goal of $15,000 to help cover:
• Over $9,000 in out-of-pocket medical costs for the defibrillator procedure
• Emily’s lost income during surgery and recovery from both her heart condition and ankle injury
• Basic expenses like medications, follow-up appointments, and recovery support
This isn’t easy for us to ask. We’ve always taken pride in doing everything we can on our own. But this time, we’re asking for a hand—not because we’re not capable adults, but because we’re in a season that’s too heavy to carry alone.
If you can donate, we’re so grateful. If you can’t, sharing this page or sending a prayer means just as much.
Thank you for taking time to read our story, for standing with Emily, and for helping us get through this with strength and love.
— Kenny, Emily, and our boys — in loving memory of our Aidan Bear
