How the Internet Rallied Behind a Desperate Dad and His Girl With Cerebral Palsy

After helplessly watching his daughter suffer, Dan Grace took action to help his child even when doctors couldn't.

Molly, who has cerebral palsy along with other "complex health issues," relies on a special feeding tube that bypasses her stomach to eat. However, the 7-year-old girl recently got sick because the tube in her stomach was the wrong size and her parents were unable to find the version that she needed due to "supply issues."

As Molly remained hospitalized while her family desperately waited, her dad explained that the child was constantly "vomiting a mixture of blood and feces." Unable to watch his daughter suffer any longer, the dad from England took to Facebook with a desperate plea for help tracking down the specific device.

"Never in a million years did I think I would have to do a Facebook 'appeal' to try and help with my disabled daughter," Dan wrote on Facebook. "We've seen enough of Molly's discomfort now (years' worth) and as Molly's parents and her voice, we aren't prepared to sit back and watch this happen any longer."

Dan requested that his appeal be liked and shared to try and help them get a "Viagon 2 centimeter by 30 centimeter G Jet" device as soon as possible. "Maybe a parent has a spare in their cupboard, a health care professional could check their ward, or a supplier could get us one quickly," he wrote. "I'll drive to pick it up, pay for it, donate to charity, I'll do anything."

Within a couple of hours, not only had the post gone viral, but it was seen by Sarah-Jane Cameron, the founder of a medical transport charity in Scotland. She reached out to her colleagues and was immediately able to secure a device for the family. Along with a co-worker, Cameron traveled 300 miles round-trip to personally deliver the device to the child. She coordinated with the hospital, and Molly was prepped and waiting for surgery by the time she arrived.

As Molly recovered from the successful operation, her dad updated everyone on Facebook and thanked these strangers for their help. "The plan is to keep Molly as calm and pain free as we possibly can over the next 48 hours to give her esophagitis and mouth time to calm down. Thanks for everyone's support. We never imagined a response like this from everyone," he wrote. "

In another update, the family shared how inspired they are that the use of social media was able to give their desperate situation a positive outcome. Now, they are trying to pay the good deed forward. "We have now decided, given how truly amazing they were, to create a fundraising page [in the] hope that we can raise some money for ScotsERV, which was the charity that drove the device from Glasgow to Newcastle," he wrote. "Whatever you could donate no matter how big or small would be greatly received by them, ensuring they can continue to carry out such amazing things helping those in similar need."