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Hope Through Hardship

Hope Through Hardship

Ari and Keegan are parents to their son Clay. They have known each other from high school and were excited when they found out they were pregnant. However, at 20 weeks, they realized that Clay was not developing properly. He had poor lung and kidney development, and they were told by doctors that he had a 10% survival rate. They had to come to terms with having a baby who would not survive.

Ari went into labor at 32 weeks and labored for 5 days until Clay was born. The doctors told Ari and Keegan that there was a 99% chance that Clay would not survive past one hour. After 12 hours, they were instructed to say goodbye. When they entered the room to see their baby for the last time, Clay’s rates immediately went up, and everyone was surprised. 

Miraculously, Clay fought for his life and has been convalescing in Birmingham for over eight weeks. While he’s on dialysis, he should be taken off his ventilator soon. Ari and Keegan are eager to bring him back home to Huntsville.

While they’re in Birmingham, they are able to frequently visit Clay as they are staying in a Red Mountain Grace apartment close to the hospital. They have been impressed with the high level of care they’ve received at the hospital. Birmingham offers world-class care that is often not available in many cities. Ari and Keegan spent their first week in Birmingham in a hotel, and then at the Ronald McDonald house for a couple of weeks. Now that they’re in an apartment with their own kitchen, laundry, and living room, they’re trying to create “any resemblance of normal life we can have here.” 

One of the most important aspects of taking care of a loved one is having support. Both Ari and Keegan’s families have visited and encouraged them throughout their journey. For Ari, her faith has also grown from the experience. “You can’t go through this situation and not have some kind of growth.” 

Ari and Keegan have enjoyed getting to explore Birmingham while they’re here. They recommend riding the scooters downtown and visiting Jay’s Wings and East West. Beyond going home, they’re most excited to hold Clay without assistance.

No Stranger to Hard Work

No Stranger to Hard Work

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When Kenneth and Diane moved from a hotel into a Red Mountain Grace apartment, the first thing he wanted to do was cook. From gingerbread men to buttermilk pie, Kenneth loves to bake for his family. After learning that he had issues with his lungs two months ago, he called on one of his closest relatives and cousins, Diane. They’d always known each other but became particularly close after Diane’s husband passed away in 2005. Kenneth was there for her when she received a transplant in 2009, and now Diane can be there for him as he receives radiation treatments. 

A Vietnam veteran, Kenneth is no stranger to hard work. He spent years doing building restoration and remodeling until he retired. He and Diane got close once he moved back from California to Alabama, and they enjoy spending time with their families here. When Diane realized she would have to get a transplant, she knew she might not survive, and her faith grew as she needed strength. She is thankful to have been given a second chance at life. 

What have they learned about Birmingham? One way streets have been challenging, but they much prefer the apartment to staying in a hotel, especially as Kenneth likes to cook. Kenneth and Diane have remained strong throughout this challenging time. “Do what the doctors tell you. Stay busy. Read a lot. You can try to change it, but it’s something you gotta live with,” according to Kenneth. 

These apartments are made possible by our incredible apartment adopters. This year, we have served 109 families so far, but that only meets a portion of the need. Your support gives us the ability to continue adding apartments until the full need is consistently met. We need partners like you to help us cover rent and utilities so our guests have a safe and comfortable apartment to come back to after a challenging day at the hospital. We will assign you to a specific apartment that you can call your own!  Each month we will send you an email update on past month happenings, current guest needs, and opportunities to serve.  We encourage you to pray for the patients, their caregivers, and families that will stay in your apartment. Reach out to our Executive Director Austin Hardison at austin.hardison@redmountaingrace.com for more information.


You Gave Me Life

Mrs. Johnson (seated) with Elmore County High School staff

Mrs. Johnson (seated) with Elmore County High School staff

Before Mrs. Johnson’s kidneys started to fail in 2020, she “had barely taken a Tylenol.” Used to being healthy and working a full-time job at Elmore County High School. Thankfully she had a large support system of family and friends. Her youngest son ended up being a donor match, so the process began quickly. Her son is starting medical school, and she knows this experience will only help him as he becomes a doctor.


Being from Enterprise, Alabama, her family would have had difficulty traveling to help her prepare for surgery and recover. “I never could have stayed at a hotel this long. I’d have gone crazy. Y’all were a blessing to our family,” says Mrs. Johnson. Mr. Johnson, the chef of the family, was able to cook spaghetti and take care of Mrs. Johnson as each of Red Mountain Grace apartments are fully furnished and stocked with cooking equipment. 


“UAB has been awesome,” says Mrs. Johnson. They provided personal care and explained all of her procedures in detail. She was amazed at the level of care and concern they showed. “Birmingham gets a bad rap,” in Enterprise, “but it’s not bad at all.” With incredible restaurants, world-class medical care, and beautiful scenery, Birmingham ended up appealing to Mrs. Johnson more than she expected. 


Her support system is what got her through treatment. She had over 500 people praying for her, even though she says she’s not the type of person to ask for help. “Red Mountain Grace has become a new family member,” but she is most grateful for her immediate family. As her son was her donor, she told him, “I gave you life. Now you’re giving me life.” 


Mrs. Johnson is now on the road to recovery, and we are thrilled about her progress. Help us continue to support families like the Johnsons by joining the Neighborhood, where you can donate monthly. Learn more here!


Join Us in Honoring Dylan

Join Us in Honoring Dylan

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The Huffaker family wants to honor Dylan by providing a new apartment for guests receiving medical care in Birmingham. Join us as we work to raise the $12,000 needed to meet this goal.

“Red Mountain Grace is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing gracious housing to out-of-town patients and caregivers during their extended medical stays in Birmingham. Our family knows first-hand what a blessing organizations like Red Mountain Grace are to those facing the trials of distance medical care. Long distance extended medical care can be like a car wreck or engine failure - you don’t know what you might need or how long you may face the dilemma. Red Mountain Grace helps families like ours, to face the unknowable with compassionate care and gracious hospitality. Please allow us to share Dylan’s story with you to help better illustrate what a tremendous service Red Mountain Grace provides to families.

On March 6, 1989, Dylan came into this world. He was born with five major heart defects, including only three chambers instead of four and a pulmonary stenosis, which was a partial blockage in the artery between his heart and lungs. His heart was on the wrong side of his chest, upside down, and it had hole in the top of it. There was little the doctors could do other than some medications until he was three years old, and they didn’t expect him to survive that long. Right after he was born, we had to go to UAB for a more in-depth diagnosis. That was our first trip to Birmingham not knowing where we could stay or how long we would have to stay. While there, Dr. Kirklin informed us that, because of Dylan’s heart makeup and physiology, he was not a candidate for a heart transplant. When he was three, we were able to take him back to UAB for a Fontan procedure. This allowed for high-oxygen flow into the body, which was a severe issue with his heart condition. The procedure allowed Dylan to live a more normal life (as normal as normal could be) for the next several years. His stay in the hospital for that procedure was approximately two months with some very touch and go moments.

Fast forward to 2011… Dylan’s Fontan procedure had done almost all that it could to keep him alive, and his health was failing fast. Twenty-one years removed from Dr. Kirklin’s initial diagnosis, the doctors at UAB now believed that they could indeed provide Dylan with a viable heart transplant. In May of 2011 Dylan was admitted and then on August 14, 2011 underwent a successful heart transplant. Amazingly, the son of Dr. Kirklin successfully performed the surgery. Dylan was also the first person in the world with his condition to receive a heart transplant. He remained in the hospital until December of that year. Dylan’s story is, in our minds, as miraculous a thing as we see on this earth and a product of so many countless answered prayers. Finding and maintaining a place to stay throughout these times was always an ordeal, and our family would like to use the occasion of his passing to perhaps help ease these types of burdens for families in the future who face similar circumstances. On August 5, 2021, Dylan left this earth. Since his transplant, he had been able to, in many ways, live a more normal life than in times past. We are grateful and feel privileged to have had him as a blessing in our lives while we did!

We hope that in sharing his story, we have helped to demonstrate what a huge need organizations like Red Mountain Grace fill for families facing the uncertainties and trials of long distance extended medical procedures. We want to continue to honor Dylan and his story by humbly requesting that, in lieu of flowers, food, or gifts, you please consider donating to this extremely worthy organization in Dylan’s name. May God bless you greatly for what you share!!”

In loving memory,

Scott (father) & Tammy Huffaker, Thomas Owens (grandfather), Robert & Wilma Huffaker (grandparents), Michael & Lena (sister) Vrazel, Kymber Owens (sister), Christian Tyler (brother) & Joy Huffaker, Joseph Huffaker (brother), Lucy Huffaker (sister), and a plethora of Uncles, Aunts, Nephews, Nieces and Cousins.

Showing Hospitality

Showing Hospitality

Mr. Bradley, an RMG guest, with Wally

Mr. Bradley, an RMG guest, with Wally

If you know Red Mountain Grace, you’ve met Wally and Gail. Long-time volunteers, they began by visiting guests in the hospital and cleaning apartments. They joined because they wanted, “to show hospitality and love to people.” They recognized that when guests stay sick for a long time, “people forget about them. If you’re the constant in their life, it really helps them.” According to Wally, if you make him brownies, he’ll definitely be a constant in your life.

Wally and Gail love that Red Mountain Grace’s community is made up of people from different religious denominations and socioeconomic statuses. They wanted to stay busy during retirement, so they split their time volunteering between Red Mountain Grace in Birmingham, AL, and a refugee community organization in Clarkston, GA. Some of the guests have particularly impacted them over the years, but ultimately, “it’s living out the gospel to strangers in our city,” says Wally. 

Red Mountain Grace could not function without volunteers. “It’s not that big of a deal,” says Gail, “if you can clean your house, you can clean an apartment.” “I wouldn’t sell it on the cleaning,” Wally replied. Although cleaning may not be his favorite aspect, they love spending time together volunteering and meeting guests. Become a volunteer today by filling out this form!


Crafts for a Cause

Libby, Katie Raye, and Mary Kate

Libby, Katie Raye, and Mary Kate

What did you spend your summer days doing as a seven year-old? Most kids are busy jumping off the diving board or playing hopscotch, but Katie Raye has been hard at work making “crafts for a cause.” 

Katie Raye comes from a long line of women who love to serve. Her mom, Mary Kate, has encouraged her to help with Operation Christmas Child, Giving Hope, and a lemonade stand for world missions. Her grandmother, Libby, has been a volunteer with Red Mountain Grace for the past five years. 

In 2017, Libby found an article about Red Mountain Grace and fell in love with the idea of welcoming strangers in need of hospitality housing into her city. She loved the aspect of introducing familiarity into unfamiliar situations for others.

She jumped in head-first and began visiting families staying in RMG apartments. Libby, and all of our volunteers, are examples of what makes RMG different. Our guests are not just patients coming to Birmingham for treatment, they quickly become friends.

Both Katie Raye and Libby embrace the unique mission of RMG. While Katie Raye loves that, “every bracelet [she makes] is different,” Libby loves that, “Every family [RMG serves] is different because you never know who can come to town,” to support the patient. 

When it was feasible to visit patients in the hospital before COVID, Libby went to pray with them to help them feel better. “There are patients that are so easy to bond with and you get to know them beyond their diagnosis. You also get to see a glimpse of who they were before all of this. You kind of feel like you become an extended part of their family.” 

Luckily, there are many ways to support RMG’s mission regardless of age. You can purchase a bracelet handmade by Katie Raye here and sign up to volunteer like Libby here. We are grateful for the impact they have already made on this organization and look forward to seeing how they continue to support our mission.

Love Family

The Love Family

The Love Family

Andrus Love’s life was saved by his wife’s intuition. After two falling spells, which were dramatic as Andrus is over six feet tall, she suggested that he visit the doctor. He was initially diagnosed with the flu, but his wife Beatrice insisted that he get more tests. Sure enough, there was a mass in his chest, and he was sent to UAB to start chemotherapy. His family put hands over him and prayed.

He has acute lymphocytic leukemia, which meant that he would need a bone marrow transplant. Eventually, an anonymous donor became a match, and Andrus told his doctors, “Y’all are gonna witness a miracle.” 

Andrus was a fighter and “rockstar patient,” according to the medical staff. He was also stubborn. He hated getting his blood clot shot, so he took to walking multiple times a day to prevent blood clots and a painful injection. 

Their family relied on each other and on their faith to get through the journey. “God has his purpose,” explains Beatrice, “We’re fighters. For me, the hardest part was leaving my kids.” Andrus and Tammy have four exceptional children, who all made honor roll this year despite their dad’s medical difficulties. 

Red Mountain Grace made it possible for the family to stay together as we provided a two bedroom apartment. There was space for the kids to do their schoolwork online during COVID, but they are excited to get back home. 

Andrus, a psychology professor in Auburn, remains in great spirits and advises others experiencing challenges to, “surround yourself by good, positive people.”

It's a Go

It's a Go

Victoria receives a lung transplant, and her mother shares her joy and appreciation.

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New Kidney, New Heart, Can't Lose.

New Kidney, New Heart, Can't Lose.

In celebration of American Heart Month, we’re honoring a RMG guest who has fought to get a new heart of his own. Jeremy Forrest, a dad and physical therapist assistant, is no stranger to medical hardship.

In 1995 and 2000, he battled acute myeloid leukemia and survived, but his heart and other organs had received serious damage from the chemotherapy treatment.

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Welcome home, Kyle!

Welcome home, Kyle!

At just 11 years old, Kyle (left) has undergone a Bone Marrow Transplant. He and his family have been living out of his hospital room for almost six weeks during this process but thankfully, they were finally able to come home to a RMG apartment.

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Meet our new Board President: Callie Priest

Meet our new Board President: Callie Priest

Callie has played a vital part in our growth over the past three years. Her vision for Red Mountain Grace is Christ-centered and patient-focused, and we’re thankful to have her lead our team into a new year.

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The Story of Cy

After being missionaries in Africa, Cy and his wife noticed something different after their return. Cy became gravely ill so he sought out medical help. They were eventually directed to Birmingham for further medical testing in hopes of finding the cause.

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Isla Hope's Journey

Isla Hope's Journey

After seven years of hoping to be pregnant and giving up, happiness pulsed through our veins after a positive pregnancy test. We gave thanks to the Lord, told family and began making our new plans. Four months in, we knew we had a girl and we also knew she had a hole in her tiny little heart. We could call her Isla Hope, hope is all we had for the little one growing so close to my heart.

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A note from one of our volunteers

A note from one of our volunteers

Upon hearing of Red Mountain Grace, I immediately knew that I wanted to be involved.  Their mission resonated with me because I have been in need of housing near the hospital twice over the past few years....(Read more)

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