The Care Gap America Has Overlooked

Melissa Keller is the founder of the Abigail Keller Foundation. When she brought her daughter Abigail home from the hospital after she was born, everything seemed fine. What followed was a journey far too many families are forced to navigate. Abigail was a medically fragile child whose life was split between home and the hospital. For eleven years, Abigail fought. And she lived a life filled with as much joy, love, and light as possible. It wasn’t easy. Not for her, and not for her family. In the United States, there are only five pediatric hospice and respite care centers. For context, there are hundreds in the U.K. I sat down with Melissa to talk about her journey, the creation of the Abigail Keller Foundation, and her mission to help bring Texas its first pediatric hospice and respite care center. This is a heavy conversation. It’s also a hopeful one. I encourage you to visit aekellerfoundation.org to learn more and support the foundation’s mission.