The old house in a working class Franklin neighborhood is electric today, with kids running and laughing and showing off their stuffed animals.

It's not always this way, but there's little sign of the rare chromosomal disorder suffered by the two middle children, or the learning disability of the youngest child, or the autism displayed by the oldest child, or the stroke that disabled their mother, or any of the other diagnoses that plague the Matthews family.

Jessica, 6, is proud of her pink backpack. Kitana, 9, loves playing with the family dog, Harley. Dakotah, the youngest at 5, has a smile he can't wipe away. Tyler, 15, isn't home from Franklin High yet.

The rest of the household includes Richard Matthews, the quiet father of the three younger kids and Tyler's stepdad, and uncle Gerard Auger, the one truly healthy person here, a blessing when it comes to assisting a family with more problems than a MASH unit and no way to get around.

And then there's Deanna Matthews, mother, spokeswoman, leader. She's the one reaching out so one day she can afford a car to drive her kids and herself to doctors' appointments.

She's the one working with Partners in Health, an organization that aids children with chronic illnesses. Uno Chicago Grill is on board, hosting a fundraiser for the family Dec. 1 during regular business hours, 11 a.m. to midnight.

Mention Deanna at Uno's that day and 20 percent of your bill goes toward a used car for the family. For now, Deanna does her best to hold things together with her kids, juggling discipline, affection and her own pain. "We've got our share of love," Deanna said, leaning hard to the right on her couch, the byproduct of her stroke. "But it's rough. My life is an open book. We have lots of people involved in the family dynamics as far as specialists trying to work with us to help us find different ways to cope and help the kids find coping skills. They all come with their own special needs. You can't handle one like you handle the other."

The family has consulted with a squadron of -ologists, in Lebanon and Manchester. A psychologist. A neurologist. A urologist. A gastroenterologist.

But Deanna has no car. Auger, her brother, has a Dodge truck, but he's gone all day, selling insulation and earning less than $500 per week. Deanna, formerly a home health care provider, is on Medicaid. Richard, who worked in construction, receives disability. They've been married 10 years.

Richard has a rare chromosomal disorder, discovered last year. It was passed on to Jessica and Kitana. A report, issued nine months ago by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, calls it "4q21.23 duplication syndrome."

The report continues: "Due to Kitana's history of learning disabilities, genetic testing for the condition was performed on Kitana. The results showed that she has the same chromosome condition as her father and sister." All three need specialists for the muscular and skeletal problems they endure. There are kidney problems and migraines, hyperactivity and pain while trying to sleep at night.

The kids

And then there's school. Jessica is repeating kindergarten. Deanna said she's at least three years behind.

"She's not making any progress," Deanna said. "She can't write her name."

Kitana is in second grade, again, but she's showing improvement.

Single page