I found out I was pregnant with Laini in June 1995. Back in those days, I was spending a lot of time on the misc.kids.pregnancy group on Usenet. Usenet is going to be one of those things we tell our children about, but they don’t believe it really existed. 😉

I read a posting that someone had started mailing lists for mommies due in any given month. Sounded like a good idea at the time. I joined the February 1996 group sometime in September 1995. Ten years later, and that group is still together. We’re down from around 60 give or take to around 30 give or take, but still going strong. Many of us have met in person over the years and even though I “took a break” from the group for a year or so, I’m back and I don’t have any plans of leaving any time soon. Divorces, more babies, moving, dying grandparents, politics, we’ve seen it all. One minute we’re talking breast vs. bottle, the next (it feels like) we’re talking signs of puberty.

One of the children on the list born in February 1996 is facing an incredible challenge and we’ve been emotionally supporting the family all along. They need more than hand-holding now. Kaleb was born with a rare bone condition called [osteopetrosis.](http://www.osteopetrosis.com) It’s a condition where the bones are overly dense and it causes all sorts of problems. Thankfully, he has the dominant form which creates problems but is not fatal as the recessive variant is. He’s had multiple surgeries to save his eyesight. A few years ago, he started complaining of hip pain. It has gotten to the point where there are days he can barely move. After seeing more doctors and so-called specialists than his Mom can count, it appears he has something called osteonecrosis where the hip bone is literally dying. It typically affects older people and treatment options include hip replacement. You can’t do a hip replacement on a 9 year old boy, and other treatments are complicated by the osteopetrosis. Meanwhile, this child is in pain and can barely move and the family isn’t getting any real help to help him.

His mom Lori (and Dad, Mark) are lost and helpless. A few weeks ago, I had the idea of using the Internet to spread the word about his case in the hope that we can get this boy enough attention so that someone, somewhere will step out of the shadows and be this boy’s miracle. The family is in Ohio and I can’t help but wonder if there’s a doctor or researcher sitting in his office in Texas or California who has the key to getting this boy out of a wheelchair and moving again. Because little is known of these two conditions together, no one knows what Kaleb’s prognosis is.

So we put together this website: [Febmoms for Kaleb](http://www.helpkaleb.com) It has all the medical information, some pictures and Kaleb’s mom is blogging her struggles. Please, visit the site. If you have a blog, mention it. Even better, if you know someone who may help, let us know. A trust account has been established and we do have a PayPal link there as the Davis family is prepared to travel to the ends of the earth to help Kaleb (even considering treatment in Beijing!) but funds are tight so any help there would be appreciated.

This isn’t a charity, it’s just a family facing a mountain I know I’m grateful I’m not standing in front of. Please help us help Kaleb.