Mary & Rob Stange have made the brave and difficult decision to separate in order for Rob to work on his mental health. With one year as the agreed starting point, this will allow him to undergo diagnostics and treatment with intention and focus on his health and wellness. Our family motto is “Pillar of Strength,” and we seek to be a source of strength, compassion and enrichment to each other in tangible ways. Rob & Mary met in 2016 at an Advent Party hosted by a dear friend of both of them. They started dating in January 2017 and it was clear to both of them that they shared a unified vision on a future shared life and that the Lord was calling them to be help-mates. They were married November 4, 2017. Sophia was born in 2018, followed by Valerie in 2024, and Cassandra in 2024. In 2024, Valerie was diagnosed to be on the Autism Spectrum, which launched the family into proactive therapies, interventions and education in neurodiversity. This growth and understanding of neurodiversity led to Sophia being assessed as well. Sophia suffers from anxiety and depression due to likely Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Sophia is too young for a formal diagnosis, but not too young to receive treatment. This climate of big needs has opened Rob up to the understanding of his own mental health and the need to address it formally. When he and I were growing up, there wasn’t as much awareness of the need for diagnostic testing or treatment, nor as thorough an understanding of neurodiversity and its many facets. Rob has identified some big needs of his own and desires to have language around, a deeper understanding of, and treatment for those needs. It will be for the best, to allow him to dive into such a delicate topic with space and distance from his children, however it is heartbreaking for all of them. Mary & Rob are practicing Catholics and believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity of marriage as a sacrament. They are relying on the graces of that sacrament in this difficult time. It is understood, between each of them, that marriage is in sickness and in health. It is also understood that they are each called to bring out the best potential for good in each other in order to enjoy the eternal reward of heaven together with their children. They feel strongly that this separation will enable this highest good. Mary & Rob are communicating regularly and Rob is still a part of the lives of his family and children. Through this Go-Fund-Me, they are seeking to fund specific needs for their family in order to approach this next season from a place of strength. They are blessed to have recently purchased a home in the Peoria area, where Mary is surrounded by deep abiding friendships and support. With our neurodiverse children, Mary will be seeking a doctor-prescribed therapy dog for the family. This season, the family would also benefit from having a fence in their backyard, to allow the children more freedom to play. Mary would benefit also, from a mother’s helper, a few afternoons a week and will be seeking to engage one for their family. Rob’s diagnostics and therapy is an additional expense as well.
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