PLAINFIELD — Two Plainfield families are scrambling to raise money for a trip that will help their daughters learn to eat without feeding tubes.

When Lauren Drennan and Traci Kurmay met, they instantly became family. Both women have special needs children that require feeding tubes.

Lelia

Lelia Drennan, 3, the daughter of Lauren and David Drennan, has a brain disorder that caused cerebral palsy.

“We learned that I must have had a cold when I was pregnant that transferred to her and didn’t allow her brain to form correctly,” Lauren explained.

Lelia has weakness on one side of her body and is deaf in one ear. She has never been able to eat regular foods. She can only eat food that has been puréed. She had a feeding tube inserted to help her gain weight.

“She is very high functioning,” Lauren said. “We noticed when she was 9 months old that she didn’t use her hands in the same way.”

That is when Lauren and her husband, Chris Drennan, took their first born to the doctor and were referred to specialists to find out what was wrong.

“It was hard for us to learn we had a special needs child,” Lauren said. “This disorder often causes death in the child, so she’s done very well.”

Makenna

Makenna Kurmay, the daughter of Traci and David Kurmay, will soon turn 4 years old but she weighs only 20 pounds because she never learned to eat. She was born premature at 28 weeks gestation, weighing only one pound and six ounces.

She spent 87 days at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and had respiratory failure the first two times she went home from the hospital.

Makenna also had two cysts on her brain and has not developed the same as other children her age.

Becoming friends

The two mothers were brought together by a mutual therapist. They had to find a way to meet without breaking the laws of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA.)

“I kept hearing about her, but with the HIPAA rules, they cannot tell you a name,” Traci said. “So I gave the PT (physical therapist) my information to give to her.”

Lauren admits that she procrastinated e-mailing her back, but after Traci sent a second e-mail, they began chatting online.

“Now we’re together all the time,” Traci said. “Both of the girls have a lot of the same issues, so they just love each other.”

The two families live just 2.6 miles apart in Plainfield.

Lauren said she is so happy that her daughter now has such a good friend.

“Lelia can just be herself with Makenna,” she said. “They are so cute when we are in the store they just hold hands and walk along with us.”

Neither of the girls have began to speak, so they often have difficulty playing with other children their age.

“The other kids will ask us, ‘why doesn’t she talk?’” Traci said. “It’s a lot of explaining. They can just relax and be themselves when they are together.”

Eating boot camp

Both of the girls have been accepted into an intensive eight-week program at the Kennedy Kreiger Institute in Baltimore, Md. The Kennedy Kreiger Feeding Disorders Program was recently featured on CNN.

The entire program is in-patient so the families are hoping to go at the same time so they can help support one another.

“We will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House and we are hoping to get into the same room,” Lauren said. “We will need a lot of help since our second children cannot go to the hospital with us.”

Both girls have younger siblings. Makenna’s little brother is Maison Kurmay and Lelia’s little sister is Averie Drennan.

“It’s not an option for us to leave the girls at the hospital so we will need a lot of volunteer help,” Traci said.

During the program, the girls will get up early every day to begin their feeding therapy. They will eat three meals a day, as well as have snacks. They will also be participating in other therapies such as speech.

“They will literally teach them how to eat,” Traci said. “We will be outside watching.”

They are calling the program feeding boot camp. The girls will get intense therapy using several techniques, including rewards.

“They will have to, say, take five bites before they go and play,” Traci said. “They use positive reinforcement.”

The problem both families are now facing is the cost of the two-month stay in Baltimore, insurance deductibles, housing, sibling care, and time away from work.

They have decided that this is the best time for them to go — as a team and while the girls are young enough to absorb all the learning they can.

The sale

To raise funds for the trip, both families are holding a garage sale and community event from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 18 in the parking lot at First Stop Furniture Warehouse, 2382 E. Main St., Plainfield.

There have already been hundreds of items donated for the sale including clothing, shoes, accessories, books, exercise equipment, furniture, teaching supplies, toys, games, Italian charms, electronics, and jewelry.

The Plainfield Fire Department will be on hand from 10 a.m. to noon to show off their fire equipment to those who attend.

“We’ve really tried to make it a community event,” Traci said. “There should be something there for everyone.”

They will be holding two garage sales simultaneously, one for each girl. They will also have a bake sale for those looking for some homemade treats.

To make donations to the sale for Lelia, call Lauren at 443-5501 or e-mail her at laurendrennan@yahoo.com. Donations are also being accepted for Lelia at Flagstar Bank.

To make donations to the sale for Makenna, call Traci at 919-1122 or e-mail her at dtkurmay@hotmail.com. Donations are also being accepted for Makenna at Huntington Bank.

Volunteers are also needed to help set up the event and clean up when it’s over. To volunteer, call or e-mail either of the mothers for more information.

brenda.holmes@flyergroup.com