One of the hardest things parents have to deal with is when their child is sick and in pain and there is little they can do to help. Abigail Burle knows how heavy this can weigh on one’s shoulders and decided it was time someone stepped up to help carry the load. Burle, a mother to premature triplets, knows this hardship well. Giving birth to Maggie, Max, and Miller at just 24 weeks, 16 weeks early.

“They were truly living hour-by-hour and we were not promised that any of them would even make it,” she said. Burle and her husband spent the first five and a half months of their children’s lives in Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. After leaving the hospital, they were sent straight into all kinds of different therapy programs.
“We started quickly being in therapies for all three kids whether it be; feeding therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy,” said Burle.

The family discovered the lack of facilities in Georgia that could provide the care they needed and began traveling all over to make sure their kids received the best possible care.
“We’ve been to Philadelphia, we’ve been to Toronto, Canada, we’ve been to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and we’ve been to Austin, Texas. All to receive the medical care that our kids need,” she said.

Though insurance helps with covering the costs it did not pay for everything, and as a family on one income, costs started to add up. Fortunately for them, they were surrounded by a community of people that helped them along the way. “we are really lucky and we have a community that rallied around us and everywhere we are traveling people are just opening their homes,” said Burle. “I just felt that sense of calmness when I was there. It’s different being able to stay in a home than in a hotel room, or staying in the hospital.”

And because of her experiences, Burle saw a need in Hall County and has set out to help other families with disabled children by starting a non-profit called Love Your Story.

Burle shared that though they may not have the resources personally to help start their vision they knew lots of people who would love to help out. Love Your Story became an official non-profit on April 17, 2022, and currently has 74 donors with a first-year budget of $33,000. The outpouring of support has allowed Love Your Story to move quickly in its outreach plans. They purchased their first home, Molly’s House, on May 17 for hosting families with disabled children who have traveled to Gainesville for treatment.

Molly’s House is named after Burle’s grandmother who passed away during COVID-19. She explained that her grandmother did not have a lot of things, but what she did have were stories and that she learned a lot from what she had to say.

Love Your Story hosted their first family on June 4 and have been a revolving door since. “It’s looking like we will end hosting right at 14 families by the end of 2022,” said Burle. She shared that through social media and the help of local intensive therapy services they have been able to reach out to families looking for help and somewhere to stay, and vice versa.

“People aren’t asking for perfection, they’re asking for an open door.”- Abigail Burle, a lesson from her grandmother

Families are able to stay at Molly’s House free of charge for up to 24 days. “We fully fund for them to stay here and it’s about $2,300 a family to fund them,” she said. Burle is already looking to expand the Molly’s House initiative to cities outside of Georgia and wants to put houses where they are needed the most. She wants every house to have a unique name and to pay homage to a family that has stayed there.

Burle has a big vision for the future and Molly’s House is just the beginning. Love Your Story is partnering with local schools for the launch of its educational program. The program is K-5 and based on helping students and staff learn how to create a space of belonging for kids and families impacted by disabilities.

Not only does Burle want to help families, but she also wants to educate others about what they can do to support those affected by disabilities. “What would that look like to help advocate with them and to become a disability ally? It doesn’t take much. And I think that that starts with education, educating yourself,” said Burle.

She emphasized that assistance of any kind is not too small. “We want you to help us create spaces of belonging in our own community, and we look forward to partnering with everyone,” she said.

For more information visit their website and for donations click here. Also visit their Instagram @loveyourstory.us.