Her daughter Hannah, 10, waits at the dining room table in their Ocala, Florida, home.
Hannah has challenges eating on her own.
Vicki, 48, places two plates in front of Hannah.
Bethany Newton babysits her sister Hannah Fouche while their mother takes Mikayla, the youngest sister, horseback riding. Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder
Which pizza do you want?
Do you want The Lion King or Olaf?
Vicki asks, referring to the Disney characters decorating each plate.
Which would you like?
Hannah replies with just a sound one that would be incomprehensible to most.
But without any words exchanged, her mom knows whats wrong.
You dont want either one?
You want pretzel bites?
Probably not as good as youd like.
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Hannah utters another obscure sound.
Youre a pain in the butt, do you know that?
Vicki heads back to the freezer to get some pretzel bites, one of Hannahs favorite foods.
Vicki proceeds to cut the pretzel bites into small pieces and feed her.
She cant stand on her own, walk or talk.
She uses an app on her iPad that lets her select words and phrases to speak aloud for her.
In fact, Vicki says Hannah often uses the app to request pretzel bites.
There are many variations of cerebral palsy.
For some, the disorder has a minimal effect on their lives.
Others require around-the-clock care.
According to theCerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, 1 in 323 U.S. babies are diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
There is no known cure for the disorder, which affects approximately 17 million people across the globe.
They carry her down the hallway and lift her into her safety bed, which resembles an oversized crib.
Hannahs parents also shoulder all the financial responsibilities of raising a child with cerebral palsy.
The Fouches are a family of five living off less than $45,000 per year.
I work hard, Tim says.
But Vicki says shes scared of the possibility of losing that assistance if her husband makes more money.
Were [between] the proverbial rock and a hard place, she says.
Vicki usually handles paying the bills and budgeting for the family since Tim works full time.
How she does it, I dont know, Tim says.
She takes something out of nothing, and she pays the bills.
But its a struggle every month.
The Fouches have between $10,000 and $15,000 in credit card debt.
Theyve made home-schooling purchases on credit, only to later find out Hannahs scholarship wouldnt reimburse the expense.
Every year, they like to put money aside from their tax refund to save for emergencies.
Unfortunately, that doesnt stretch through the year.
They dont have any other financial safety net.
We never have money to save, Vicki says.
Were lucky that we have enough to pay our bills.
She also participates in therapeutic horseback riding.
Because of assistance, the Fouches dont have to pay out of pocket for any of that.
Were very, very blessed, Vicki says.
But Vicki says the diapers Medicaid covers for Hannah leak easily.
The electric wheelchair has malfunctioned several times.
Vicki says shes glad her husband is so handy.
Getting requests approved through Medicaid can be challenging, Vicki says.
And even when something is approved, the family sometimes still has to pay for part of it.
The family sold bracelets as a fundraiser and made about $2,300.
We ended up having to come up with some of it out of our pocket, she says.
We raised most of it, but not [all].
She thought it would be temporary and that shed go back to work once Hannah started kindergarten.
Then, she got unexpectedly pregnant with Mikayla.
Vicki had her tubes tied after that pregnancy.
With Hannah in school, Vickis new plan was to go back to work once Mikayla was in kindergarten.
But then Hannah started having troubling experiences at school.
She would come home 90% of the time with her lunch [uneaten].
The Fouches were concerned their daughter wasnt getting proper care at school.
What kid at 8 years old hates school so bad?
However, Tim says hes very thankful for the role shes taken on.
Thats not the only sacrifice the Fouches have had to make.
If Mikayla wants to go, she has to wait until one parent can stay home to watch Hannah.
Vicki says they had to charge T-ball registration fees to their credit card.
Last year, the Fouches had annual passes.
They got them as a Christmas gift for the girls and paid for them in monthly installments.
However, Vicki says they decided not to renew the passes for this year after Disney raised its prices.
Thats been really frustrating, she says.
Thats really the only thing that we do with the kids… Hannah doesnt feel disabled at Disney.
She can go on all the rides.
She cant do that at all the other parks.
But Vicki and Tim knew something serious was wrong with Hannah.
Their infant daughter wasnt meeting typical milestones for her age.
Unbeknownst to each other, they both had suspected it was cerebral palsy.
And the Fouches have seen Hannah progress over the years.
She can sit up unassisted, whereas before her body wasnt strong enough to support itself.
One speech therapist told the Fouches that Hannah would never be able to work a communication rig.
She said she would never be strong enough to push the buttons on the communication thing, Vicki recalls.
And yeah, this kids a whip on the iPad.
Its not even funny.
Hannah often sleeps in her worried parents bed so they can closely monitor her.
A few weeks after getting the brace, Tim says shes still having trouble adjusting to it.
Theres still other equipment the Fouches wish Hannah had to better her life.
Having a equipment that doesnt make Hannah strain to support herself would be ideal.
Being in a wheelchair so often causes Hannah to have poor circulation in her legs.
However, Vicki says Medicaid wont cover the mobile stander, because Hannah already has the electric wheelchair.
She says itd cost $5,600 to pay for out of pocket money the family doesnt have.
She also says itd be wonderful to have a hoist system in the house to lift Hannah up.
At 60 pounds, Hannah isnt easy to carry anymore.
Luckily, she wasnt carrying Hannah on either occasion.
The Fouches also wish they had a handicap-accessible van, but they cant afford one.
Vicki said even getting their current minivan converted to be wheelchair accessible would cost around $15,000.
Its uncertain what Hannah will be able to do on her own once she reaches adulthood.
If we could have one wish for her…
I would really hope at some point that she could be able to speak, Vicki says.
One thing Vicki and Tim do know is that they never want to place Hannah in a nursing home.
The Fouches say their faith in God gives them strength to handle all the challenges that come their way.
Overall, Vickis greatest hope for her daughter is one most parents have for their child.
I just want her to have as [good of] a life as she can, she says.
If you are raising a child with special needs, learn to plan financiallyfor your childs future.
Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
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