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Community comes together to help 2-year-old with rare sickness

Posted at 9:13 AM, Sep 27, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-28 11:17:18-04

BEDFORD, Ohio — A community is coming together to help a 2-year-old with a rare illness.

Serenity Yusko had a stroke in July and was in the hospital for nearly a month.

Her mother, Daytona-Love Bozeman, said from there, Serenity's condition worsened. Her doctors knew she had severe anemia which led to other complications like heart failure.

"I came home and I talked to my husband and I said I think we need to talk to our kids about their sister not coming home. She’s not going to make it," she said, remembering back to that time.

But Serenity pulled through. She was even stable enough for doctors to let her come back to her Bedford home.

Bozeman said that's when she had the idea to post on the Bedford neighborhood Facebook page and ask if anyone had a playhouse Serenity and her two siblings could have.

"In my mind, at the time, it was if I build her a home something to come home to, then she has to come home," she said.

That's when neighbors, she didn't even know, answered her question. They didn't have a playhouse to give her, but they would make her one.

"They got a playground at home, now they don’t have to worry about a playground that is closed or overpopulated," said Scott Martin, one of the neighbors who built the playhouse. " It’s a thing we all should do help out our neighbors and give back to the community," he said.

Bozeman said she was shocked by their generosity.

"Even in all the sadness and how bad things can get, there’s always someone out there with a good heart to remind you and to put your hope back a little bit and to think complete strangers would do this just because, it’s a symbol." she said. "It's all you can really ask for."

Serenity still has a long road ahead of her as doctors are still working to figure out her full diagnosis.

But for now, Bozeman said she's just happy to see her little girl smiling and hear her laugh again.

"I want her to be happy and I want her to grow up with her brother and her sister," she said. "Just experience all the things."

Her mother started a GoFundMe page to help get her to New York to see a blood and heart specialist and to help with medical bills.