TOLEDO, Ohio — An ugly attempt to stop a local family's mission to cover their son's medical expenses has completely backfired as their cause has gained national attention and much-needed funds.
Randy, who family and friends know as R.J. and who doctors call a "miracle baby" is stirring up a message of love, not just in Toledo, but nationally too.
"He's a happy baby. Smiling, cooing, doing all the things he should be doing for 4 months. Just a very happy baby," explained Angel Ahlers, R.J.'s mother.
Since October, Angel and her husband have been proactive about raising funds to help pay for their 4-month-old son's medical bills and future tests.
R.J. was born with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (AgCC) which means the center of his brain is underdeveloped. He also has Trisomy 9 Mosaic Syndrome, an incredibly rare genetic chromosome disorder, which only 1,200 people in the world have.
With such rarity, R.J. has seven different specialists caring for him, which comes at high price that even insurance and assistance from federal and local programs can't cover.
Recently, the family posted signs near Westfield Franklin Park Mall, describing R.J.'s disabilities and asking for donations to be sent to R.J.'s GoFundMe account.
Not long after the signs were up, a sign with a hateful message was noticed underneath one of the originals that read: "Stop asking for money. Let the baby die. It's called Darwinism. Happy Holidays."
Initially, R.J.'s parents were filled with rage, but instead of fueling the rage with negativity, they decided to do something different
"I was just appalled," explained Angel. " I had all day to really think, 'You know what I'm not going to reflect on it.' I told my husband, I really need you to delete that and put something positive on here (Facebook). Then he goes 'Well, why don't we just do a video of you getting rid of the sign?' and I said 'OK, let's do it.'"
FAMILY ADDRESSES SIGN-MAKER
"We're going to battle your hatred with love and we're gonna pray for you," Angel said in her Facebook post.
And after the Ahlers' battle of love was brought to the community's attention, an absolute outpouring of love is exactly what the family received through words of encouragement and through donations.
In less than a week since the Facebook posting, the Ahlers have surpassed their goal of $20,000 on their GoFundMe by nearly $16,000 and counting.
"We are hopefully going to Boston's Children Hospital, where there are studies done for trisomy and trinomial abnormalities in children. So hopefully we'll be traveling there. Insurance doesn't cover that," explained Angel. "From just going to a regular doctor's appointment it's expensive, but these are specialists that deal with this, so that's going to be even more expensive."
The Ahlers will be hosting another fundraiser event for R.J. on Dec. 15 at the Sidelines restaurant located on Melwood Avenue all day.
Anyone interested in supporting the family just has to mention that they are with R.J. and 20% of the restaurant's profit from that day will be donated to the family.
The fundraiser is not only for R.J., but also a way for the Ahlers to give back to those who support them.
"We're auctioning items that have been donated to us. We've got car washes, gift cards from restaurants and different items that have been donated to us," said Angel.
But beyond the donations the Ahlers have received and plan to give, the one thing they want to spread is love.
"If this little guy can facilitate global love, then so be it."
Fox News, CNN, actress Melissa McCarthy and the Huff Post have all reached out to the Ahlers to help spread their message beyond Toledo.