Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
CEDAR CITY — Stephen and Stefani Ellison have dedicated their lives to the service of others for the past 30 years. They are now finding themselves on the receiving end after a series of trials that have left them unable to do many of the things that once defined them.
The Ellisons, of Cedar City, are the parents of 19 children, 14 of whom have special needs and have been brought into the family by way of international adoption.
In recent years, however, Stephen Ellison has had some health challenges that have required surgery to amputate a large portion of his right leg.
Stefani Ellison said about eight or nine years ago, her husband fell while climbing a ladder to get into his trailer while working as a semitruck driver. The accident shattered his foot and required several surgeries, but he never fully recovered.
"Last March, my husband came home from work and said that he didn't feel very well. When he took his boot off, his foot was just massive and purple-black." Stefani Ellison said. "So we went down to emergency and they put him in the hospital and he didn't come out for a week because he had sepsis and we were looking at the threat of death."
After surgery to remove some of Stephen Ellison's toes, she said doctors were hopeful the infection had cleared. But not long after, things got worse, as infection spread to his organs, bones and tendons, resulting in the amputation of his leg just below the knee.
The use of both of his legs is a requirement for his job, so he was forced into early retirement. Not only that, but Stefani Ellison was also forced into an early retirement from her job as an international adoption specialist to care for her husband and seven of their remaining children with special needs who are still at home.
"I had to quit my job so that I could care for my husband, and the other children that we have, because they also continue to have their significant needs," she said. "So it's been quite a journey from March until now, and it's just kind of taken every bit of resources that we have with no jobs to get us to this point."
Stefani Ellison recently underwent total knee replacement surgery and is "the only pair of working legs in the house," with her children at home also requiring wheelchairs or having other cognitive needs.
"Everyone has their doctor's appointments and their counseling appointments and their therapy appointments, and we've got to get them back and forth (to) school … so all of these things require people who have legs to drive." she explained.
Ginger Healey, a former neighbor and co-worker, saw a need to help the family and stepped in with a GoFundMe* account. She said watching her friends go through such hard times — when they have given so much — has been hard.
"Stefani and I worked together for 15 years doing international adoptions, and she had a niche program where she placed children with special needs in homes," Healy said. "She's probably one of the strongest advocates I have ever met, and she really is instrumental in saving the lives of thousands of children … and, in the meantime, she's been raising her own children who also have significant special needs.
"I just don't know many people like her who have that deep of a well of love and dedication for children in her home and around the world," Healy said. "It is just so hard to see her family struggling right now, and I want to be able to help."
Letting others help
"Asking for help is much more difficult than you can imagine because we've been the ones to be the helpers," Stefani Ellison said. "But sometimes we need to step back and say, 'If none of us allow help, then no one can be a helper.' It's important for us to allow opportunities for people to be the helpers as well. … It's imperative to our growth to be able to understand how it feels to be in need."
While the local community, as well as strangers, have stepped in to help the Ellisons, Stefani Ellison said one of the most tender things has been seeing her own children band together to help, as well.
"It's really difficult and it's scary for some of our kids at home, but they've all banded together and tried to help in any way that they can," she said. "They all rallied around this month to make sure that the house payment was paid, and we didn't know anything about that. … We have raised some really good kids."
It's imperative to our growth to be able to understand how it feels to be in need.
–Stefani Ellison
Stephen Ellison is continuing his recovery from surgery at the hospital and, as of now, his wife says things are looking up for him, physically. She also said she is grateful for those who have stepped in, and hopeful that life will lighten up a bit.
"We've just appreciated, so much, all the people who have stepped in to try to help, and it's been really touching to know that others are mindful of us when we feel like we can't do much more of this," Stefani Ellison said.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
